I was admitted to the hospital to deliver my second baby. Everybody in Labor and Delivery and Post-Partum was very attentive but Mike Ramirez was exceptional. It caught me by surprise that a male nurse would work in a woman's health department. To my surprise, he made me feel very comfortable, even when he was assessing my intimate parts.

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I can tell he loves his job. Out of all of the nurses, he was the one that took the time to reinforce my breastfeeding technique. He was the only one that gave me resources to continue successfully breastfeeding at home. He did not assume I knew how or was comfortable breastfeeding just because this was my second child. Thank you, Mike, for all your help and support. Baby and I are doing great and breastfeeding is not as challenging, thanks to your help!

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Nursing is a second career for Mike. He completed his BSN after an initial career as a Quality Control Chemist. He started his nursing career as a case manager for HIV-positive patients at Tarzana Treatment Center. Before starting at Holy Cross, he had three daughters born here. With each birth, he reached out to me regarding his goal of working in the Mother Baby Unit, but the timing wasn't right until a couple of years ago. He joined us as a TIPs in 2014 and was the first (and only) male employee of the Mother Baby Unit. He initially encountered obstacles and resistance from other staff that had concerns about a male nurse in the department. Recognizing his talent, another nurse stepped up and precepted and mentored him to make sure he had an opportunity to be successful.

Mike embraces his clinical practice area and obviously has a passion for what he does. He is a strong patient advocate, especially in the area of breastfeeding. He is a Certified Lactation Educator and fills in as lactation support when needed as well as teaches the outpatient Breastfeeding Class. I frequently receive positive feedback from patients regarding Mike's care. He is often recognized for including and engaging fathers.
Mike comes to work and does whatever is asked. He is flexible with his schedule and will pick up extra shifts when needed. Besides mother-baby couplet assignments, he works as a nursery nurse and floats to do lactation support or transition RN in L&D. He embraces whatever assignment he is given.

His peers recognize his patience and knowledge and acknowledge his thoroughness with education and lactation assistance. He recently precepted one of our TIPs and was recognized for his bedside interactions with patients as well as how helpful he was in providing her with the knowledge to better support breastfeeding for her patients. Mike is a team player and a valuable asset to the unit.