Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Bailey. Dr. Sloane. Dr. House. Dr. Foreman. Dr. Chase. Dr. Cameron. There aren't many main nurse characters in the hit shows Grey's Anatomy or House M.D., but maybe there should be. They play a larger role in the medical field than most people might think — just ask Valerie Lytle, a registered nurse (RN) from the Swedish Medical Center.

"The public often tends to think that nurses only do small tasks, like draw blood and take blood pressure," she said. "But there's so much more to that."

Lytle works in the obstetrics unit at Swedish as an antepartum ("occurring or existing before birth") nurse, where she takes care of mothers-to-be who face pregnancy complications.

"We take care of patients who are having problems from their first-trimester all the way to labor," she said. "Some of these problems are heart defects, maternal illnesses, pre-term labor, bleeding problems or diabetes. We make sure the mother's health is prepared for safe labor."

She also makes sure the babies aren't in distress by using fetal-monitoring machinery, which requires specialized training. However, nursing also requires skills outside of training from a nursing school.

"All of our patients are extremely anxious," Lytle said. "We provide psychological support and help them adapt to what's going on. We have to give tremendous support to the mother and her family. The families usually need adjustments, like what to do with the kids when their mom are in the hospital."

Nurses also serve as coordinators who bring the specialty care providers to the patients, she said. She figures out what's needed at that time, day or week.

A nurse for 23 years now, Lytle hadn't always wanted to be a nurse.

"I was just looking around," she said. "I was thinking about becoming an English major."

Then she met people going into nursing in her biology class at a community college.

"It just clicked," she said. "I'm so glad that I got that opportunity. I am a tremendously passionate nurse. I like to be involved with people. Coming home every night, I know that I made a big difference."

Lytle graduated from the UW School of Nursing, which she remembers as difficult and rigorous. It was also exciting and stimulating, she said, with a scientific learning environment.

"I remember when I was working to get my BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing), everyone in the class was really dedicated to becoming a nurse," she said. "You're in a very supportive learning environment."

Now she is a graduate student studying to get her master's degree at the UW, and recommends the nursing field to anyone who is dedicated and wants to be around people.

"It's a terrific career to go into within the next five to 10 years, especially with the tremendous shortage of nurses," she said. "It's a terrific field since it's still developing. It is really well-paid with excellent benefits. There are unlimited possibilities — there are so many things you can do with nursing. It is a blend of science, the arts and humanities."

More males to enter the field of nursing, she added.

"I'm noticing more and more males entering nursing in the last five years," she said. "It's great because they bring different perspectives. It's more modern now since we have both male and female nurses."

While Lytle loves her work, she said it is also very hard and serious.

"There are a lot of life and death situations," she said. "So not only is it physically demanding, but it's emotionally draining too. It's very demanding work, so you have to be dedicated. It's never boring."

Marta Collins, a nurse at the UW's Hall Health Center, agreed that the nursing field is never dull.

"It's a great profession because you can go into so many different fields of nursing," she said. "You never have to be stagnant. It's so refreshing."

Collins also graduated from the UW School of Nursing, which she said is one of seven nursing programs in Seattle.

She works at both the Women's Clinic and the Family Health Clinic at Hall Health.

Prior to coming to work at the UW, she worked in Burns and Plastics and Intensive Care units at Harborview Medical Center. She also has experience in labor and delivery.

At Hall Health, Collins is a jack-of-all-trades, performing activities ranging from answering phone calls and answering questions of parents, giving Depo Provera shots for birth control, doing assessments for urinary tract infections, giving pediatric flu shots, testing for whooping cough and posting health-related bulletin boards that promote education.

Like Lytle, Collins hadn't always wanted to be a nurse.

Before, she was a waitress and even worked in casinos in Las Vegas. However, while visiting home, a family friend who was an assistant to the county coroner introduced her to the field of nursing.

"I really had no idea what a nurse did," she said. "That's how cold I was. But it was so fascinating. And I love working with people. I feel very fortunate to be in the UW system."

Catherine Hatch is also an RN at Hall Health and is studying to get her master's degree as a family nurse practitioner.

"A family nurse practitioner (or FNP) is a registered nurse with advanced training," she said. "As an RN, you do a lot of assessments, but as an FNP, you do more diagnosis, treating, and prescribing medicine. You can order labs and do blood tests."

It's becoming more common for RNs to get an FNP degree, Hatch said.

"The training is pretty rigorous," Hatch said. "We have to do clinical work where you work with a preceptor and practice full-service exams."

This quarter, Hatch's clinical work focuses on health maintenance, helping people to prevent illness, doing physical assessments on children, teaching people about contraception and how to stay safe and prevent accidents. Next quarter will focus more on diagnosis and treatment.

Hatch said that nursing is also a great opportunity if you're looking to go abroad. She has been to both Ecuador and Ghana, working with physicians there to see how clinics are operated.

As a grad student at the UW, Hatch knows exactly what to expect in nursing school. She gave one last piece of advice for all the prospective and current nursing students.

"Take the opportunities you have to learn," Hatch said. "Don't short-change your education. Ask questions when you can. Be patient, because it's overwhelming."

[Reach contributing writer Kim Lee at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]