Katie Sittler

Nursing

Sometimes we meet people who are meant to come in to our lives to make a difference. That was the case when Debra Troxler, director of Communication and Planning at the Stanton Campus, was visiting her mother in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Inspira Medical Center in Vineland, New Jersey.

Troxler was introduced to her mother’s nurse, Katie Sittler, and said she knew there was something special about her right away. Stittler provided care and reassurance as she took care of Troxler’s mother and their family. They realized they had a connection when Stittler spotted Troxler’s Delaware Tech folder.

“We talked, and I found out that Katie was a graduate of Delaware Tech’s nursing program,” said Troxler. “I knew I was in good hands when I learned that. Her care and concern were a comfort, as she took the time to share, listen, and attend to our needs.”

Stittler said providing care to sick patients and their families is her passion, stemming from her experience taking care of her own mother during an illness. Stittler’s mother was an LPN, and Stittler grew up going to work with her.

“I loved seeing what she did, and the way she interacted with her patients,” said Stittler.

She promised her mother, who passed away four years ago, that she would get all the education she could, since her mother always wanted to continue her own schooling. She has kept that promise.

After graduating from the nursing program at Delaware Tech in 2018, Stittler passed her board examinations the next week. She then earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wilmington University, and just received her master’s degree to become a family nurse practitioner. Stittler started her career in critical care, and said her favorite part of the job is seeing the change in her patients who are lucky enough to recover, and supporting the patients and family she serves.

In the future, she may continue her education to become an acute care nurse practitioner, because she enjoys working in critical care. With Women’s History Month approaching, she hopes others will appreciate the sacrifices of women in the nursing field.

“Our field is female-dominated, and the journey to get where you need to be as a nurse is difficult,” Stittler said. “Women just need to push forward and pursue their goals to get where they want to be.”

Stittler is certainly a shining example of this, and Troxler said Stittler’s care made all the difference for her mother. When her mother was moved to another floor, Troxler expected a different nurse, but as she was leaving the hospital that night, she spotted a familiar face.

“I was surprised to see Nurse Katie,” Troxler said. “She told me that she picked up an extra shift on that floor, and that she would be my mother’s nurse for the evening. She gave me a hug, and all I could do was cry. What a blessing!

“Nurse Katie is truly special, and I’m so grateful that she was my mother’s nurse. She is making a Delaware Tech Difference.”