Special delivery

When Stacy Brunquist first came to Alaska as a traveling neonatal nurse, she planned to stay for only three months, expecting to complete her contract at Providence Alaska Children's Hospital before moving on to her next assignment. Instead, she built a life in Alaska - she married, became a mother, and will soon earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Today, Brunquist works as a neonatal nurse practitioner at Providence while continuing to travel around Alaska to provide specialized newborn care and training. Her career reflects the close relationship between Providence and UAA, where she also teaches as adjunct faculty, helping guide the next generation of nurses through courses on caring for newborns.

Born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota, Brunquist knew she wanted to become a nurse by age 12, after the birth of her youngest brother introduced her to the world of neonatal care. Watching nurses care for him sparked something that stayed with her. As the eldest of four siblings, she naturally gravitated toward caregiving roles, and nursing offered a path to turn that instinct into a profession.

"I was very fascinated watching the nurses take care of babies, and I thought that looked like a really fun job," said Brunquist. "To this day, I think nursing is the best profession ever, because you can choose any population, any setting and any specialty, and be able to make a difference in families' lives every time you go to work."

After graduating from Concordia College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Brunquist began her career in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There, she gained experience not only caring for fragile infants, but also learning the specialized skill of neonatal transport, which involves stabilizing and transferring premature or critically ill newborns. When a period of personal transition led her to try travel nursing, she accepted what was supposed to be a 13-week assignment in Anchorage.

Providence's need for neonatal nurse practitioners opened the next chapter of her educational journey. The hospital supported her in earning a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, paving the way for her new role as a neonatal nurse practitioner with greater responsibility in patient care and mentoring others.

As an adjunct faculty member at UAA, Brunquist has helped strengthen relationships between the School of Nursing (SON) and its community campuses, fostering collaboration across the program. Seeing her enthusiasm and effectiveness in teaching, SON Director Carla Hagen encouraged her to pursue her doctorate. Although the degree does not change her clinical role in the NICU, it opens the door to full-time teaching at the university level - an option she finds exciting as she looks ahead in her career.

"What really helped me as a student was finding the one person who advocates for you," said Brunquist. "When you feel supported, you can thrive - and [Carla] did that for me. She reminded me how much I love teaching."

While a full transition to teaching is still some time away, Brunquist weaves education into everything she does - training new caregivers, guiding parents learning to care for their newborns, and sharing knowledge with professionals from Utqiaġvik to Sitka. In 2009, she also started a neonatal outreach education program that has since evolved into regular classes in many of those same Alaska communities.

Over her three decades working in the NICU, Brunquist has witnessed the evolving nature of nursing, shaped by advancements in technology and shifting expectations around work-life balance. Yet at its core, nursing remains centered on compassion and connection. For Brunquist, the most meaningful moments still happen in the delivery room and NICU, where she supports tiny patients just beginning life and the families welcoming them to the world.

"My favorite part is being at the delivery - watching how strong and resilient the tiniest humans are, and helping parents see the miraculous, wonderful things about their baby," said Brunquist. "I also love teaching anything neonatal - helping teams replace fear with confidence when caring for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients."