Kristina Sackett, RN
Kristina Sackett is a compassionate and dedicated registered nurse whose healthcare career spans more than two decades. Since beginning her nursing journey in 1998, she has remained deeply committed to providing high-quality patient care grounded in empathy, resilience, and professionalism. Early in her career, Kristina found her passion in emergency medicine, where she thrived in the fast-paced and unpredictable environment of the emergency room. Over the course of 15 years, she cared for patients of all ages and medical conditions, including pediatric emergencies, orthopedic injuries, and surgical crises, while working with organizations such as PeaceHealth Medical Group and later serving as a traveling emergency room nurse throughout Oregon.
Throughout her years in emergency medicine, Kristina developed a strong clinical foundation while balancing the personal demands of family life. Her work as a traveling nurse allowed her to continue supporting patients while also maintaining flexibility during difficult periods, including helping her son through mental health challenges. Her career, however, took an unexpected pause after she suffered a severe back injury caused by being thrown from horses, leaving her unable to continue nursing for nearly a decade.
Even while away from clinical practice, Kristina’s commitment to caring for others never diminished. During this time, she devoted herself to supporting loved ones through serious health conditions, including assisting her mother during cancer treatment and caring for her father as he faced complications related to congestive heart failure and COPD. Determined to return to the profession she loved, she completed a nursing re-entry program through Health Education Consultants and successfully transitioned back into healthcare through long-term care nursing.
Today, Kristina finds deep fulfillment in caring for long-term care residents and building meaningful relationships that extend beyond medical diagnoses. She understands the emotional and personal challenges many residents face, particularly those who have lost independence or have limited family support, and she strives to bring patience, dignity, and compassion into every interaction. Kristina believes nursing is not simply a profession but a calling centered on genuine human connection and service. Her extensive experience in emergency and long-term care, combined with her personal resilience and empathy, continues to shape the exceptional nurse and caregiver she is today.
• Lane Community College - RN License
• Health Education Consultants - Re-entry to Nursing Program
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Emergency Medicine
- Long-Term Care
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
In long-term care, it's so nice to get to know my patients and to know their quirks and their needs. These residents have given up their lives and condensed everything into these little 8x12 rooms that have become where they live and how their lives are. They've given up control of so much, and you have to remember that they've given up so much control over their lives in this small area. Sometimes you're kind of the only ray of light that they have in their lives through your interactions with them. Some of them don't have families anymore, they don't have people that come visit them anymore, and it's really sad. You can be the only hope and comfort that they have. My husband's uncle told me, sometimes you're the only ray of sunshine they get, and I try to remember that every time I go to work. Even if they're angry, upset, rude, or demanding, I can be the only sunshine that they have in their day. All of that anger and stuff is not directed at me - it could be directed at their situation. When I was in emergency medicine, I loved the different patients and the different crises. I was a true adrenaline junkie. You see everything - pediatric, orthopedic, surgical, geriatric, medical - you see it all the time, every shift.