Karissa Mielke
Karissa Mielke grew up on her family farm West of Davenport, Wash., and entered Washington State University in the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in the fall of 2007. She began her nursing curriculum at the WSU Spokane campus at the start of her junior year and quickly fell in love with the nursing profession.
During her clinical experiences in the hospitals of Spokane, Mielke was mentored by some of the finest nursing faculty, who helped shape her passion for critical care nursing. Her favorite clinical experiences included rotations at Deaconess Medical Center’s cardiac step-down unit, Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Children Hospital Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric emergency room, her psychiatric nursing rotation at Eastern State Hospital, and her senior practicum experience at Sacred Heart’s cardiac step-down unit.
What Mielke most enjoys about nursing is that it allows her to integrate her knowledge of the human body with the art of holistic care through compassion and patient advocacy.
While in Spokane, Mielke completed her undergraduate Honors thesis on heart valve repair and replacement, and she hopes to publish her work in several nursing journals this coming summer. Mielke has worked as a research assistant while at the College of Nursing, and is part of the Sigma Theta Tau honor society of nursing. She has won numerous scholarship opportunities, including the Silver Regents Scholar award, and the Washington State Junior Miss Academic winner scholarship. Her volunteer experiences have included helping at Christ’s Kitchen in Spokane, three separate trips to build houses for impoverished people in Tijuana, Mexico, and serving as a committee member for an American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on two separate occasions.
During her clinical experiences in the hospitals of Spokane, Mielke was mentored by some of the finest nursing faculty, who helped shape her passion for critical care nursing. Her favorite clinical experiences included rotations at Deaconess Medical Center’s cardiac step-down unit, Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Children Hospital Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric emergency room, her psychiatric nursing rotation at Eastern State Hospital, and her senior practicum experience at Sacred Heart’s cardiac step-down unit.
What Mielke most enjoys about nursing is that it allows her to integrate her knowledge of the human body with the art of holistic care through compassion and patient advocacy.
While in Spokane, Mielke completed her undergraduate Honors thesis on heart valve repair and replacement, and she hopes to publish her work in several nursing journals this coming summer. Mielke has worked as a research assistant while at the College of Nursing, and is part of the Sigma Theta Tau honor society of nursing. She has won numerous scholarship opportunities, including the Silver Regents Scholar award, and the Washington State Junior Miss Academic winner scholarship. Her volunteer experiences have included helping at Christ’s Kitchen in Spokane, three separate trips to build houses for impoverished people in Tijuana, Mexico, and serving as a committee member for an American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on two separate occasions.
Highlight Student
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College: College of Nursing and Honors College |
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Degree: Bachelor of Science in Nursing |
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High School: Davenport High School, Class of 2007 |
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Career Goal: Pursue a career in critical care nursing. After gaining several years of experience, plan on returning to school to earn a Ph.D. in nursing and become a professor in nursing education. |
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Parents: Deborah and Douglas Mielke of Davenport, Wash. |