Pregnancy is a “journey filled with excitement, wonder, discovery and preparation,” according to Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
Registered nurse Evie Robison serves as a guide on that journey as Our Lady of Lourdes’ Pregnancy Navigator. Robison says stepping into that role was a matter of “being in the right place at the right time” and the culmination of years of personal experience and professional expertise.
It’s also an opportunity, Robison says, that would have been out of reach without the bachelor of science in nursing she earned through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s online RN to BSN program.
Jack’s Legacy
Before Robison became a nurse, she was a full-time mom to her son, Jack.
In 2002, Jack was born with congenital heart and lung disease, requiring four open-heart surgeries as well as constant heart monitoring, oxygen, and a feeding tube.
“He needed a lot,” Robison says. “We had a home health nurse in our home almost every day. We had speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy — between all of that and hospital stays, we were constantly doing those things and trying to make everything right to take care of him and his health.”
Robison says she was able to take on that level of care thanks to Jack’s nurses.
“Nurses gave me the confidence to take him home and take care of him,” she says. “They really built me up and empowered me to do that. It was a very scary thing, but they made me believe I could do it.
“I still keep in touch with those nurses that specifically touched my life.”
Jack lived four and a half years, Robison says.
“When I lost Jack, I wanted to give that back. I wanted to touch people the way nurses touched me and educated me,” she says. “So nursing and educating and empowering moms has been my platform. That’s not where I thought my path was going to take me, but I found my passion. Or it found me.”
In 2009, Robison and her husband, Ryan, welcomed their second son, Evan. Shortly after, Evie Robison began pursuing her associate’s in nursing. She completed the program in 2012 and began practicing in her hometown of Alexandria. Her first role as a clinical nurse took her back to the pediatric intensive care unit.
“I think a lot of people would think that would be the one department I’d want to stay away from, but it was comfortable for me to be in that setting,” Robison says. “I could give a different level of empathy.”
Balancing Work, School, Family
As soon as she completed her associate’s degree, Robison started looking into programs that would allow her to complete her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“I heard a lot of good things about UL Lafayette’s program — you could do it online, you could do it at your own pace,” she says. “So I started researching it.”
She enrolled in the UL Lafayette online RN to BSN program in 2015, earning her degree while working full-time, parenting a then-7-year-old Evan, and expecting new addition, Adam.
Robison says she dedicated time every night to completing assignments, writing, or reading.
“It was difficult, but I didn’t feel I was having to set aside a lot of family time so that they suffered,” she says. “I don’t feel like they lost anything.”
Robison was placed on bed rest for part of her pregnancy but says through the online program, she was able to complete assignments and have a full experience as a student, with responsive faculty and accessible resources.
“The library access was invaluable. If I needed research, it was all there. I never had to go outside of my computer for anything,” she says. “There were so many opportunities available at my fingertips.
“There was a lot of support and guidance from the instructors. I felt like they were encouraging and supportive the whole way through.”
Robison says she was also able to connect with peers through online forums, building comradery.
Supporting, Educating Moms
When Robison completed her degree in 2017, she began a position with the Nurse-Family Partnership, serving Rapides and Avoyelles parishes.
“Possibly the biggest influence in my professional life was working for the Louisiana Office of Public Health with the Nurse-Family Partnership,” she says. “It’s visiting first-time moms in their home from pregnancy until their baby turns 2 so you’re able to establish long-term relationships, educate these moms, and truly empower them to be a confident mother.”
In September 2019, the Robisons relocated from Alexandria to Lafayette so her husband could accept a new job. She initially commuted to retain her position but with two school-aged boys, she says, she needed a new solution — one that would allow her to be available for her family.
“I didn’t want just a job that fit the Monday through Friday schedule,” Robison says. “I still wanted a job that was meaningful to me.”
Robison contacted Our Lady of Lourdes and spoke with the nursing recruiter. After the recruiter heard Robison’s experience and credentials, she told Robison the hospital was developing a new position — pregnancy navigator.
The navigator would meet with patients and educate them at different stages of their pregnancy.
“I got super excited, thinking, ‘This is too good to be true,’” Robison says.
Robison began her role as a pregnancy navigator in November 2019. She says she was able to use her existing knowledge to shape the brand new position and is continuing to build it from her experiences in the role.
“I love it,” she says. “I’m able to meet with patients at all stages of pregnancy and help them with different resources, whether it’s their first or seventh baby. It’s not limited.
“It has been an amazing journey so far, and it’s just beginning.”
Earning a BSN, Robison says, gave her the credentials and insight to cultivate a fulfilling nursing career focused on educating and empowering moms the way nurses empowered her nearly 14 years ago.
“The BSN gives you a more professional mindset when it comes to nursing. You see things from not just a clinical standpoint, but a management standpoint,” she says. “None of these opportunities would be available if I hadn’t gotten this. It fills a lot of gaps you don’t even know are there.”