Let’s meet Lindsay Vitse. 

Hi, my name is Lindsay Vitse. I am currently a Registered Nurse working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I am also working on attaining my Doctorate in Nursing Practice to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. 

Q: Who or what inspired you to pursue a STEM-related degree?

I don’t necessarily feel as if it were one person or moment  that inspired me to direct my focus in the ‘science’ direction. I found that it was so rewarding to work in health care and be a part of a person’s journey towards getting healthy which  has contributed toward my drive to work towards an advanced degree. Health care sciences are always changing and there is SO much to learn. It is fun to be that bridge of knowledge for the patients. 

Q: What are key pieces of advice would you give other women seeking to enter this specific field?

You will never regret advancing your knowledge and education in science. It is something that there is always a need for and there are so many avenues to take your education down. 

Q: How have you navigated a traditionally male-dominated field?

Registered Nursing is actually very female dominated so not necessarily. Though I do feel I am currently taking on this challenge though with advancing my career to become a health care provider which is typically very male dominated. This is difficult as historically, patients often times ‘trust’ the male providers more. This new role I’ll be taking on as a Family Nurse Practitioner is still a fairly new role and has not completely gained the trust of the general population so that is another challenge. I plan on navigating this challenge through being a patient advocate and building trusting relationships to prove and support females in this role. 

Q: Rachel Simmons, author of “The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls With Courage and Confidence,” explains that when girls focus on winning approval, they shy away from risks. “If you’re a quintessential good girl, you experience failing as letting someone down. Instead of saying, ‘I missed that goal in the soccer game,’ it’s that everyone will hate me.” She urges parents to emphasize performance rather than relationships and to help girls avoid ruminating, which amplifies the impact of the setback. Girls also may be more likely to attribute failure to lack of ability, while research shows that boys tend to blame external factors, such as not studying. Simmons notes that parents can counteract this mind-set by focusing more on progress than results. Do you agree or disagree with the above research that we need to help girls focus on progress and less on relationships?  Why or Why not?  

 Absolutely! Women have always taken the back seat to male counterparts. It is so encouraging to see women standing up and finally fighting for gender equality. Women put a lot of emotion into what they do, historically this has been frowned upon or looked upon as weak, but this is the opposite of what it is. Emotion is what drives hard work, dedication, and passion. I think the culture of failure or mistakes is changing, fortunately. Errors are mistakes should be looked at as a time to reflect and grow, make changes, and improve on oneself instead of dwelling on the presents or focusing on letting someone down.