Registered Nurse — Specialty Teams
Surgery
Smith circulated across all CVTOR (Cardiopulmonary–Vascular–Transplant–Operating Room) procedures and served as lead circulator for Vascular Surgery. In this capacity, she functioned as a subject-matter resource, training new graduate nurses and transfer staff in vascular surgery workflows and on-call protocols. Tampa General Hospital, a Level I Trauma and Aortic Center, manages emergent ruptured aortic cases with rapid coordination from air transport to operating room intervention.
Within this high-acuity environment, Smith developed advanced expertise in sterile technique, specimen handling, perioperative data trending and analysis, and the calibration and operational management of complex, multi-million-dollar surgical technologies. She also maintained responsibility for environmental and workflow optimization across the operating suite, developing a reputation for resourceful, rapid problem-solving in critical situations.
Air Medical Crew Core Curriculum
Smith entered nursing with the intention of becoming a Flight RN and followed a deliberate path toward that goal, gaining broad experience across critical care and perioperative environments. She completed Tampa General Hospital’s Peri-operative Program and Critical Care Program and spent five years working in Intensive Care Units within Magnet-designated Level I Trauma Centers, including travel ICU assignments, while continuing to support operating room services.
During this time, she maintained certifications in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation, Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy, Ventricular Assist Device management, and Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump therapy. She also completed additional training in Hazmat response, infectious disease outbreak protocols, FEMA coursework, and preparatory study for the Paramedic examination through Emergency Medical Training. Her aviation medicine exposure included MECA’s Air Medical Crew Core Curriculum, along with Aeromed training experiences and ride-alongs.
As her clinical experience deepened, Smith’s long-term goals evolved. After developing and later achieving remission from an autoimmune condition, she reassessed her career trajectory and priorities. She remains grounded in the intensive care and transport medicine foundation she built and is now focusing her skills toward new directions in healthcare, informed by both her clinical training and lived experience within high-acuity systems.
FEMA Team: Hurricane Irma
Smith served as a member of the FEMA response team at Tampa General Hospital during Hurricane Irma, remaining on-site within the Vascular Intensive Care Unit for one week to support continuous, around-the-clock patient care throughout the storm. This experience further informed her interest in emergency disaster management and public health, strengthening her commitment to care delivery in high-acuity and resource-constrained environments.
Infectious Outbreak Team
As noted previously, Smith served as a member of Tampa General Hospital’s Infectious Outbreak Team. Initially formed as an Ebola preparedness task force, the team expanded to include HazMat training and broader infectious disease response scenarios. In its later evolution, it played a role in the early institutional response to COVID-19, supporting preparedness, protocol development, and frontline coordination during emerging public health conditions.
