02/23/2026
Katie is a nurse and APP leader because of the first job she ever had: big sister.
👧 Katie first walked through Children's National Hospital doors at 18 months old...not as a care team provider, but as a big sister. From toddlerhood through age 22, her younger brother Henry received care here. For her family, Children's National became a second home.
🧸 As a child, her memories were simple: child life toys in hospital rooms and chocolate milk in the cafeteria. As she grew older, her memories were filled with her parents being away at the hospital for long stretches of time.
👩🎓 During Katie's first year of college, her mom encouraged her to consider nursing. She knew it was the right decision after her first day of clinicals. She also knew that Children's National was the only place to work in the field, so it felt like a dream come true when she became a student nurse extern on the Heart & Kidney Unit.
❤️ One of her most powerful full-circle moments came when she sat with her brother in pre-op before his last surgery, wearing scrubs instead of visitor clothes. Seeing her brother as a patient while serving as a nurse fused her two worlds forever.
🩺 Another full circle moment happened years later, after Henry passed, when Katie's mom reflected on a nurse who took extra special care of Henry as a baby. A nurse who helped their mom sleep more soundly knowing she was caring for Henry. Fast forward, that nurse (Mary Micker) and Katie now work together and share a special bond. Mary is not only a colleague, but a mentor, a “work mom” who has, in many ways, been caring for their family Katie's entire life.
👩⚕️ Today, as our Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Program Manager, she supports the professional development and education of APPs across the organization, investing in the people who care for our patients. She wasn’t ready to step away from patient care entirely and we’re grateful she didn’t. Twice a month, Katie continues to see patients in Pediatric Urology, providing biofeedback therapy.
"My experience as a sibling has completely shaped who I am as a nurse. Of course I strive to provide the best clinical care possible. But because of my personal experiences, I also strive to provide the best personal care possible. Nurses have such an honorable and special role that blends these gifts. Feeling cared for of course included the superb clinical skills of the Children's National cardiology team. But it also included all of care beyond what Henry received as a 'patient,' and us as a family." - Katie Scarpaci
