Betsy Ruckman uses her nursing skills to help when patients need fertility surgery
The Fertility Center of Las Vegas (FCLV) offers many options to diagnose and treat infertility, including minimally invasive fertility surgery. Betsy Ruckman supports our fertility doctors to provide exceptional care to patients as a surgical services nurse coordinator.
Betsy has long been passionate about using her training as a nurse to help fertility patients. “I’ve been working in some capacity with fertility patients for about 13 years now, and I feel like my reasons for loving it have shifted over the years,” Betsy says.
When she first started in the world of fertility, Betsy was drawn to this area to help patients and explore the science of reproductive medicine. As she is now thinking about starting her own family, she has found a new appreciation for her work. “If I can help make the family-building process even the slightest bit easier for someone, I feel like I am doing something right.”
Betsy Ruckman has a strong background in nursing and patient care
Betsy attended Indiana University and received her Bachelor of Science in nursing. After graduation, she started working for Indiana University (IU) Health as an operating room nurse. In that role, she was introduced to the world of fertility care.
“The hospital at the time had an operating room dedicated to oocyte (egg) retrievals, which was also connected to an embryology lab,” Betsy explains. “I learned how to circulate and assist our surgeons with egg retrievals and embryo transfers and immediately fell in love with the field.”
After working in the operating room, Betsy wanted to focus more on direct patient care. That’s when she made the transition to work with some of IU Health’s general surgeons and surgery team at University Hospital, which is the main academic health center in Downtown Indianapolis.
“I was able to work one on one with our general surgery patients and was very heavily involved in implementing an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program, which was one of the first in the nation,” Betsy explains.
While Betsy found her work at the hospital to be very rewarding, she found herself missing the fertility world. So, in addition to her hospital job, she started working with Midwest Fertility Specialists as their preoperative/PACU nurse and loved it.
A move to Las Vegas brought Betsy to our Las Vegas fertility center
When Betsy’s husband got accepted into grad school in Las Vegas, the couple moved to the area. Betsy started working with another surgery office, but she again missed the fertility field. Thankfully, Betsy Ruckman had a connection that helped her find a position at FCLV.
“As luck would have it, my lab director in Indianapolis knows the lab director in Las Vegas. As soon as I interviewed, I immediately knew this is where I wanted to work,” Betsy says. “I started as a preoperative/PACU nurse. Now I’m the surgical service nurse coordinator.”
In her role at our Las Vegas fertility center, Betsy takes care of all surgical patients before and after surgery. She also focuses on hysteroscopy education and scheduling. An average day for Betsy also involves tasks like answering patient questions, completing surgical paperwork and ensuring the surgical center has all the necessary medications and supplies.
Betsy keeps busy outside of work as a nurse
Betsy Ruckman and her husband have three dogs, a shih tzu Ruby, a border collie mix Lucy and a terrier mix Wylie. The couple is from the Midwest, so they love to go home and visit their families when they can.
Betsy and her husband also love theatre, which is actually where they met. In her spare time, Betsy enjoys acting and being a part of plays and musicals.
“It has proven to be a good outlet for my creative side,” Betsy says. “I actually just finished my first full production here in Las Vegas with a theatre company, so that has been fun.”
If you’d like to learn more about fertility surgery and whether it can help you welcome a healthy baby, contact us to learn more.
