As the nation celebrates Nurse Practitioner Week on November 9-15, one nursing student is proving that the next generation of healthcare providers is already making an impact.
For Katelyn Webb, a second-year pediatric nurse practitioner student at the IU School of Nursing, the decision to pursue advanced practice nursing came from a desire to do more for patients.
“Since I can remember, I have wanted to be a healthcare provider,” Webb said. “I grew up spending my summers at work with my grandma in an orthopedic clinic. This sparked my love for healthcare, and I don’t think I have ever considered another career. I chose the nursing path because of the countless opportunities for personal and professional growth.”
That drive led her back to school after earning her BSN from IU in 2021, and she now learns about the unique contribution NPs make to healthcare.
“Nurse practitioners are unique because of their nursing background and experience,” she explained. “Nurses learn to listen to and assess a patient long before they learn to diagnose and treat a patient. We know the importance of listening to learn and understand the entire story to create the best patient and family-centered plan of care.”
Become an NP
Interested in becoming a nurse practitioner? Learn more about the IU School of Nursing's BSN-DNP Nurse Practitioner tracks or Post-Master's Graduate Certificate options.During her clinical rotations at Riley Children’s Hospital, Webb has learned lessons from her young patients that textbooks cannot teach.
“It continues to amaze me how resilient and flexible pediatric patients truly are,” she said. “I work with patients with complex care needs, and they experience copious medical procedures and hospital visits with minimal pushback or commotion. I have the utmost respect for kids who spend their childhoods in and out of the hospital.”
For Webb, National Nurse Practitioner Week isn’t just a celebration—it’s a reminder of the impact she hopes to make.
“I want to be known for my attention to detail, my ability to listen, my empathy, and my thoroughness,” she said. “I want patients and families to feel better leaving than when they came in. I want to ensure that I am upholding evidence-based practice while putting my patients and families first.”
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Founded in 1914, Indiana University School of Nursing is one of the largest nursing programs in Indiana that offers programs from the BSN through the doctorate. The school is composed of campuses in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis.
Media Contact: Glenda Shaw | 317-278-2048 | glenshaw@iu.edu