Board of Directors

     Brief summary of your work experience: I have been a nurse for almost 26 years, and 20 years of that UF Health Shand’s in Gainesville, Florida. I did 20 years as a Surgical Trauma ICU nurse, where I did a variety of positions precepting, charging, and building mentor programs, I even did a small stent in leadership.  I did 2 years as a Stroke/Trauma nurse in our big Emergency Department, this was a wild choice in the middle of a pandemic. But I learned a lot and it was a blast.

       Current nursing role: Neuro OR/IR as a circulator

       Current facility / type of unit: UF Health HVN OR doing Neuro

       One thing you love about NCF chapter: We have a great passionate group of nurses ready to mentor our new nurses.

       One goal you hope to achieve in your NCF role this year: Get more nurses actively involved to do more with the chapter

Current nursing role: Infection Control Practitioner, RN Trauma ICU

Current facility / type of unit: UFHS Trauma ICU 

One thing you love about NCF chapter: Love networking with peers and learning new things related to ICU care at our dinners. 

 One goal you hope to achieve in your NCF role this year: I hope to support the chapter by learning the Treasurer role and assisting with bookkeeping and planning to continue to offer evidence-based continuing education to our North-Central Florida critical care nurses. 

Work Experience: With 20 years of nursing experience, I’ve called the ICU home my entire career—most of it spent in the Cardiac ICU at UF Health Shands. I loved every moment at the bedside, caring for some of the sickest patients and supporting their families through critical times. For four years, I stepped into the role of VAD Coordinator, gaining invaluable insight into outpatient management while still keeping my heart in cardiac care. But the pull of the CICU was too strong, and I returned to the bedside where I felt most at home. For the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as Nurse Manager of the CICU. It’s the best role yet—where I get to help grow and develop incredible nurses while still staying close to the patient care that inspired me from the start.

Current Nursing Role: Nurse Manager Cardiology ICU

Current Facility/Type: UF Health Shands Academic Medical Center

One thing you love about NCF Chapter: One of my favorite parts of being involved in the chapter is the networking—getting to connect with people across departments and organizations. I love building those relationships, sharing ideas, and learning new ways we can raise the bar for the patients we serve.

One goal you want to achieve in your NCF role this year: My goal is to grow our network of attendees—branching out across North Central Florida to bring more critical care nurses to the table. The more voices we bring together, the more innovative and impactful we can be for our patients and our profession.

Current nursing role: Staff RN

Current facility / type of unit: Lung and Thoracic ICU at UF Health Shands 
One thing you love about NCF chapter: What I enjoy most about the chapter is how it creates space for nurses to connect outside of work in a space that feels more relaxed and supportive.
One goal you hope to achieve in your NCF role this year: This year I’d like to focus on helping increase member engagement, especially by encouraging more students and newer nurses to get involved.

Name/Credentials: Cristina Phillips, MSN, RN, CCRN

Position: Clinical Nurse Leader

Place of Employment: Thoracic and Lung Transplant ICU, UF Health

Brief summary of your work experience: I began my career in healthcare in 2005 while working in EMS. I graduated with my ADN in 2011 from Santa Fe and began working in the ICU at Munroe Regional, which is now Advent Ocala. For the last 5 years I have worked in the Surgical Trauma/Medical ICU at HCA Ocala. I have worked in various roles including precepting, charging, Rapid Response, and ECMO specialist. My current role allows me to support all of our new nurses in their transition into the critical care unit by revising our orientation process and resources, providing bedside education, and mentorship.

Current nursing role: Critical Care Clinical Support Coordinator

Current facility / type of unit: HCA Ocala, Trauma/Medical/Surgical ICU

One thing you love about NCF chapter: I love how welcoming the chapter is to their new members.

 One goal you hope to achieve in your NCF role this year: My goal is to get more of our Ocala area nurses involved in the chapter.