Andrea Ahlgrim, NP - Memorial Hospital

About Andrea Ahlgrim

Growing up, Andrea Ahlgrim, NP, observed as her mom, a registered nurse, answered medical questions from friends, family and neighbors and also helped take them to doctor’s appointments. “I wanted to go into nursing to help patients understand their medical conditions and plan of care,” she says.

Andrea knew she wanted to work in the NICU and at Beacon specifically, because it is the highest level NICU around. “Once I was in the NICU, I stayed because of the teamwork and family that exists in the NICU at Beacon.”

After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, IU Bloomington, she went on to IU Northwest in Gary, IN, for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After that, she graduated from Rush University, Chicago with a Doctor of Nursing Practice – Neonatal Nurse Practitioner degree.

While working on her BSN, she made the decision to work in neonatal intensive care. “I had a clinical in the NICU in nursing school and was amazed by the NICU!” she says. “I saw it as a place where miracles happen every day. I enjoy being a voice for my patients!”

Andrea approaches her work with an openness to learning and teaching. She enjoys educating parents and new staff members about the patient population being served. “Nursing school doesn’t provide much education on the neonatal population, so many nurses are learning a lot on the job,” she says.

Working with babies requires paying attention to very subtle clues. Andrea notes that parents, who spend more time at the bedside of their child, can pick up on these before the staff does and aid in care being given. While the hospital is not a comfortable place for parents, she hopes they feel at ease asking questions. “I would rather a parent ask me an easy for me to answer question than have stress or anxiety about something our team could help with or educate them about,” she says.

In her own words…

What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it?  My first job growing up was working in a small bookstore.

What is your favorite food?  My favorite food is pasta.

What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up?  My best subject in school was always math and my worst was English.

If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why?  I would like to have dinner with my grandmother. She passed away when I was younger and I would like the chance to get to know her!

In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about?  My family! Outside of work, I spend all my time with my husband, kids and our families.

What are your hobbies, interests?  I love spending time with my family. Before having kids, I played volleyball and I would like to get back to it someday soon! I also enjoy reading and try to spend a few minutes every day with my nose in a book.

Do you have pets?  I have two black labs, Bella (10) and Mia (8).