Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Staci Simmons has dedicated her career to improving the lives of critically ill children in Alabama. Her unique expertise stems from years of caring for infants across pediatric critical care settings, including neonatal intensive care, pediatric intensive care, emergency, critical care transport, and cardiovascular intensive care. Out of her passion for caring for children and families affected by critical illness, she pursued a master’s degree in 2005, specializing as an acute and continuing care pediatric nurse practitioner. Her career led her to become one of the first pediatric nurse practitioners (PNP) in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at UAB Hospital. She was also among the first cohort of acute care trained PNPs to work in an ICU setting in Alabama. She has cared for thousands of infants and children with congenital heart disease, heart failure, cardiac transplantation, and a variety of other pediatric heart conditions. Her role in the CVICU is diverse, including medical management of patients, educating nurses and families at the bedside, and training other medical professionals. Dr. Simmons has mentored numerous students and nurses at various stages in their careers. After serving as adjunct faculty in the master’s degree program at UAB, she obtained a Doctor of Nursing practice degree in 2019. She now serves as full time faculty in the Capstone College of Nursing, teaching primarily in the graduate program. Her clinical research focuses on quality improvement and nurse leadership.
Dr. Simmons continues her clinical practice at Children’s of Alabama in inpatient cardiovascular services. She enjoys her unique role as both a clinical assistant professor and a pediatric nurse practitioner, which affords her the “best of both worlds”.
Dr. Simmons continues her clinical practice at Children’s of Alabama in inpatient cardiovascular services. She enjoys her unique role as both a clinical assistant professor and a pediatric nurse practitioner, which affords her the “best of both worlds”.