In 2017, 12-year-old Tristin Weaver stepped inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Hillcrest Medical Center for the first time. Even before that moment, she knew she wanted a career caring for babies. The visit was arranged after Tristin’s mother shared her daughter’s interest with Grace Switzer, BSN, RN—then the NICU supervisor and a fellow native of Stigler, a small rural town in Oklahoma.
Today, Tristin is back in that same NICU; but now as a nurse. She joined the Hillcrest NICU team in June as a graduate nurse, fulfilling a childhood dream with purpose, determination, and a clear vision.
“During that tour, I remember seeing a baby under bilirubin lights and thinking, ‘That is the coolest thing,’” Tristin said. “From that moment, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
Grace, now director of nursing for women’s services, recalls being immediately struck by Tristin’s sincere interest in the unit.
“She wasn’t just going through the motions,” Grace said. “She would’ve stayed the whole day if we let her.”
That early spark never faded. Tristin continued on a focused path—completing high school, earning her degree from Eastern Oklahoma State College, and entering Hillcrest’s externship program. It was the same path Grace had taken years before, and one she encouraged Tristin to consider. However, when it came time for Tristin to apply, Grace deliberately stayed on the sidelines.
“She got the job completely on her own merit,” Grace said. “It wasn’t until after she was selected that anyone even knew our connection.”
To mark Tristin’s first official day on the job, the two recreated a photo taken during that first visit years ago, now standing outside the NICU as colleagues.
“From that one visit when she was so young, Tristin decided that was it—and then followed every step, at every appropriate moment, to make it happen,” Grace said. “That’s what’s so impressive.”
Grace’s own journey at Hillcrest is a testament to the career growth possible in nursing. Over the past 15 years, she has moved from bedside nurse to supervisor, then to manager of both the NICU and Labor and Delivery, and now to director of women’s and children’s services.
“We have a culture here that encourages leadership from within,” she said. “My career kept building into the next opportunity. Today, I work alongside a team of managers we lovingly call ‘the lifers’, many of us have been here 10 to 20 years.”
For Tristin, the start of her career already feels right.
“When I leave my shift and see my babies calm and swaddled, or their parents smiling, I know I’ve done my job,” she said. “It feels surreal - like I’m finally doing exactly what I was meant to do.”
Though she’s just getting started, Tristin is confident in the road ahead.
“I feel a sense of relief knowing I’ve chosen a career where I can always grow,” she said. “There’s always another opportunity—and that’s exciting.”