From the Hospital to a Simulation Lab, a Nurse Finds Her Purpose and Passion

This story is part of Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special.

On the ground floor of St. Mary's Hall, Kelli Giffin steps toward a hospital bed.

A high-fidelity mannequin lies there, blinking, its heart rate projected on a nearby screen. Giffin (G'98) shows students how to insert an IV into its arm, noting the tricks of the trade she's learned along the way.

Giffin is the director of theO'Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center, a high-tech learning environment that gives nursing students simulated clinical training of real-life scenarios.

Giffin designed these scenarios, many of which are based on her own experiences as a nurse. She began her nursing career at a community hospital in Western Pennsylvania before transitioning to Georgetown University Hospital in 1996. Giffin earned her master's in nursing from Georgetown in 1998, and 12 years later, began working as a clinical instructor at the university. She spent time teaching in the simulation lab - and she loved it.

"I've married the best parts of nursing," she said. "I love being creative. I love designing things. I love finding real-world solutions to problems. I think my job as a simulation director has let me take it to the next level. I can't see myself doing anything else."

Since leading the center since 2014, Giffin has created an escape room in which students apply their learnings in real-time; developed a curriculum for high school students interested in nursing through the School of Continuing Studies; added new medical equipment students would use in a hospital setting; and created virtual contentto continue students' learning during COVID-19. Day to day, she facilitates graduate and undergraduate learning in the lab and teaches students core clinical skills.

Throughout her career, Giffin's passion for nursing has never waned. She still serves on the same nursing floor that she did nearly 30 years ago at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital - giving her continued experience she can pass on to her students.

"I always reflect on my nursing shift on my drive home. On those tough days, I acknowledge that I may not have been the nurse that I wanted to be, but I try to find something positive - something that I was proud of," she said. "I think it was meant to be. I'm meant to be here."

Learn more about the little moments that have fueled Giffin's wholehearted passion for nursing.

The day that changed my life: One day, my algebra teacher found me in the hall and asked me what I was going to go to school for. I was a senior, and I was like, 'I don't know what I want to do.' He said, 'Have you ever considered nursing?' I said, 'As a matter of fact, I have never considered nursing.' And he said, 'Well, my wife is a nurse and she's a nurse anesthetist.' That's all it took for me. I went to the University of Pittsburgh for four years, and I fell in love with nursing. I can thank that algebra teacher. I wonder if he knew the gift he gave me. That led me to everything that followed.

What made me fall in love with nursing: caring for people and helping people. That's such a cliche answer, but I enjoy caring for others. There was no specific moment or light bulb or anything. I just loved understanding what was wrong with people and trying to help them through it.

I still work as a bedside nurse: I work at MedStar Georgetown on the unit that I started on almost 30 years ago. I don't ever want to give up caring for patients. It provides so much satisfaction. Even if I have a bad day at work, I still leave there thinking, I helped somebody today.

I also do it because I feel in my current role as a nursing educator tasked with creating content scenarios, it's best I'm still immersed in the role. That makes me my best self here. It gives students the best option to have relevant experiences here.

How I discovered I could combine technology and nursing: I still remember my first simulation experience as a clinical instructor in this lab when the technology wasn't working. I was able to fix an audiovisual problem with absolutely no background knowledge. I remember thinking, Wow, this is cool. This is interesting. Understanding what simulation was and how it worked and how it helped students gain the confidence and the clinical reasoning skills they needed was so intriguing to me. After that day, I started thinking, I could do this.

In the simulation room, mistakes are OK: We want students not to be afraid to make mistakes. They're at an early point in their learning, and they're going to make mistakes, but they're making them in an environment that is safe and supportive. That's the gist of simulation. It's a supportive place to make mistakes and to learn to grow. That's my favorite thing about simulation is just how much can be learned in one experience.

Something I wish people knew about me and my role: I think people might not understand the amount of time it takes to deliver this content. Creating and delivering simulation content is not necessarily easy. Each scenario requires an attention to detail in the set-up, prep, supply management in order to make sure that everything is correct so that all students can have the same experience. It takes a lot of time to not only create content, but also to operationalize the experience. But to me, [students'] time in the lab is so important, so I hold it to a very high standard. For instance, when our birthing mannequin delivers babies all morning, but then in the afternoon decides she needs a break, I feel bad about that. I want the best for all the students.

What drives my passion for teaching: I want to see the profession of nursing thrive. I want to be part of training our future nurses the right way, making sure they have all the skills to continue on the path. I want to make sure they don't get burned out or leave the bedside or not have all the knowledge to make them feel successful. It's really a give-back to the profession in a way. If you're good at something or if you are passionate about it, you should spread the word.

Outside of work, you'll find me: I'm a mother first and foremost, and a lot of my passions lie with my kids. I have all adult children, but I am still very involved in their lives. I want to make sure I'm there for them and present. I also enjoy being outdoors and love taking walks with my husband and my dog. I wish I could say I had more hobbies, but unfortunately, I really am interested in nursing, and I feel like I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts and also researching technology and what I could do in the lab that would make a difference.

One of my proudest moments: My daughter just received aDaisy Award. It's an international award that recognizes compassionate care. She was nominated by a patient's family. She's only been a nurse for a little over a year. I feel like she found her passion just like I did. Knowing that she's able to provide that comfort to family members who are struggling - oh, gosh. Total pride.

What gets me out of bed in the morning: My passion for nursing and for educating students so that they're ready to commit to this incredible profession. I love mentoring, nursing, the future of nursing. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by the best faculty and staff there is. I feel so much pride in knowing that I'm associated with this program and these people.

Nursing brings out the waterworks: Nursing makes me emotional. I feel like it's given me so much. I feel blessed to have what I have and to have found a passion that even exists outside of nursing in educating students and delivering content. I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, which is kind of cool when you think about it.

• School of Nursing