{"id":246311,"date":"2026-05-28T13:22:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246311\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T13:22:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:22:40","slug":"national-nurses-month-nyu-langone-nurse-reflects-on-compassion-long-shifts-and-patient-care-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/246311\/","title":{"rendered":"National Nurses Month: NYU Langone nurse reflects on compassion, long shifts and patient care \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

At 6 a.m., while much of Brooklyn is still waking up, Caitlyn Ecock is already inside the cardiac procedures unit at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn<\/a>, checking equipment, reviewing safety procedures and preparing patients for the day ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Ecock, nursing was never part of some grand childhood plan, but rather a slow revelation through a combination of science, caregiving and experience.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of just fell into it,\u201d Ecock said with a laugh.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

After studying biology as an undergraduate at Clemson University, she enrolled in an accelerated nursing program, eventually beginning her career on a medical-surgical unit before finding her footing in the emergency room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I really found myself in nursing when I worked in the emergency room,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where I really learned the skills and saw the different sides of nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As communities celebrate National Nurses Month<\/a> this May, nurses like Ecock represent the backbone of Brooklyn\u2019s healthcare system \u2014 balancing long shifts, demanding work and the responsibility of caring for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Caitlyn Ecock said she appreciates that she\u2019s experienced different types of nursing specialties, from med-surg, emergency medicine and now cardiac procedures. Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Ecock<\/p>\n

Growing up, Ecock said caring for others came naturally. She often helped look after her elderly grandparents, experiences that quietly shaped her future career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always liked science,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce I thought about what I really wanted to do with my career, it kind of fell into place.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

That broad range of experience \u2014 from med-surg floors to emergency medicine and now cardiac procedures \u2014 has helped shape the way she approaches patient care.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to see different points of the patient\u2019s journey,\u201d Ecock said. \u201cOn a med-surg unit, you\u2019re helping transition them back into their life outside the hospital. In the emergency room, you\u2019re seeing them at the start of hospitalization, usually during the most stressful moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said those experiences help her better understand how early care can impact long-term recovery.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is good to work in different units because you just get a more well-rounded view of what the patient experiences,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

Today, Ecock works three 12-hour shifts each week in cardiac procedures, where the schedule begins before sunrise and can quickly change depending on emergency cases.<\/p>\n

After arriving at 6 a.m., nurses prepare operating rooms, review equipment and begin prepping patients before procedures start around 7:40 a.m. Throughout the day, Ecock may help set up procedures, monitor patients during recovery or assist with emergency additions to the schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Ecock\u2019s advice for new nurses during National Nurses Month? Always remember why you do it.Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Ecock<\/p>\n

Though her days are long, Ecock said she has found a better balance working daytime shifts after previously working nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I worked night shift, it was very hard,\u201d she said. \u201cYour sleep-wake cycle is messed up, and it\u2019s hard to engage with other people who are on a regular schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside the hospital, Ecock embraces quieter moments \u2014 spending time with her dogs, gardening, cooking, reading and visiting the beach whenever the weather allows.<\/p>\n

During National Nurses Week, celebrated annually from May 6 through 12, Ecock said she appreciates the opportunity for nurses to recognize one another\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like a stress relief at work because everyone\u2019s excited about celebrating each other,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all know nurses work very hard, and it\u2019s nice to take a week to really pat yourself and your coworkers on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Ecock told Brooklyn Paper she is continuing her education to become a Nurse Practitioner.Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Ecock<\/p>\n

Ecock is also continuing to build toward the future. She is currently pursuing a master\u2019s degree to become a family nurse practitioner while continuing her work at NYU Langone Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI found a unit that I\u2019m really happy on,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s given me so much opportunity to learn and grow.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

As new nursing graduates prepare to enter the workforce this spring, Ecock offered simple but meaningful advice for those beginning their careers.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways remember why you do it,\u201d she said. \u201cOn the other end of what we do is people and their families and their life and their story.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

In a profession often measured by compassion rather than numbers, she said, maintaining that connection is essential.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really measured in the care that you give,\u201d Ecock said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not able to connect to that, find a space that allows you to.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 6 a.m., while much of Brooklyn is still waking up, Caitlyn Ecock is already inside the cardiac…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,96213,99,96214,96215,96216,96217,42338,96218,76919,96219,9,24,12,370,44772,96220,96221,63,39703,3941],"class_list":["post-246311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-healthcare","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-brooklyn-nurses","tag-caitlyn-ecock","tag-cardiac-nurse","tag-emergency-room-nurse","tag-healthcare-workers","tag-hospital-staff","tag-local-news-brooklyn","tag-national-nurses-month","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-nurse-practitioner","tag-nurse-stories","tag-nursing-careers","tag-nyc","tag-nyu-langone-brooklyn","tag-patient-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}