Cat Lawless remembers stepping into the familiar hallways of Nemours Children’s Health, where she was once treated for scoliosis as a child. 

Now, she walks those same hallways as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, sometimes passing her former spinal surgeon on her way to care for the hospital’s tiniest patients.

“It’s like I never left,” she said with a smile.

Lawless graduated from the University of Delaware School of Nursing in 2021 and is proud to be a Delaware native who stayed to work in the state to help combat the ongoing nursing shortage. 

“I knew I wanted to work in pediatrics, so landing my first job after graduation in the NICU at Nemours was a perfect fit,” she said. 

She loves the critical care environment.  

“There are far more happy days in the NICU than sad days,” she said. 

Her favorite days are discharge days.

“The families are so excited for the cords to come off and to hold their baby and put them in their favorite outfit, and finally take their bundle of joy home,” she said. “We give the babies little graduation caps and take photos. It’s such a special moment.” 

But even the hard days have meaning. 

“It might not have been the perfect day, but we worked as a team,” she said. “I’m fortunate to work in a unit where our providers, nurses, nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists work well together and appreciate each other. That’s a win on a tough day.” 

Working in the NICU takes a special kind of vigilance. 

“You have to be very observant because things can change instantly,” Lawless said. “NICU babies don’t always present when there’s a problem, so something as small as a fever can require a full work-up.” 

Lawless said her education at UD gave her the foundation to thrive in such a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.

“I loved the Simulation Lab — it was my favorite place to be,” she said. “The tactile, hands-on clinical experience helped me develop critical thinking skills that I use daily on the job." 

She spent three years as a teaching assistant in the Simulation Lab and later returned as adjunct faculty. While at UD, she also worked at the Nurse Managed Primary Care Center and became involved in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, where she now serves as president of the Beta Xi Chapter.

“Lawless is a shining example of a homegrown nurse — a Delaware native, educated at UD, committed to the First State and making a real impact on the state’s ongoing nursing shortage,” said Elizabeth Speakman, chief nurse administrator and senior associate dean of the SON.