“Nursing is about trust.”
— Lanita Warner // SSU Class of 1991 and SOMC Maternity Nurse
Lanita Warner has been building trust with new mothers and families in SOMC Maternity for 31 years — something she considers an honor.
“My patients trust me to have an investment in their health,” she said. “They trust me to be up- to-date on the technology and education I need to provide the best care — and do it all with confidentiality and treat them with dignity and respect. I consider it an honor to have earned that trust.”
Lanita says that specializing in maternity nursing has provided her the opportunity to develop and use skills in many areas of nursing.
“Being a maternity nurse is multifaceted,” she said. “In any given day I can be an antenatal/clinical nurse (providing care during a mother’s pregnancy), I can be a labor nurse, a postpartum nurse, and a baby nurse. I may also be a pre-op nurse, operating room nurse, PACU nurse, and med-surg nurse. I can be an educator and a lactation consultant. Every day is different.”
She encourages those considering nursing to keep an open mind when imagining where their degree may take them.
“My first year of nursing school, I wasn’t even considering maternity,” she said. “I took a position at SOMC as a nurse tech – which is now the nursing intern position. That allowed me to work with nurses from every department of the hospital. The night it was my turn in the nursery, it clicked. I found something I could do for the rest of my life.”
Lanita said that while she chose to spend her career in maternity, every area of specialty in the profession offer vast opportunities.
“Nursing as a career is so versatile. There really is something for everyone,” she said.
