The mission for Yovica Valentin: providing the best infant care at Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

They say when you do something you love, it doesn’t feel like work at all. That feeling is something that holds true for Yovica Valentin, infant care technician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). Yovica has always had a passion for working with children and infants. With her role at Northwell, she’s able to fulfill that passion while working hard to fulfill another dream of hers; becoming a registered nurse (RN).

Yovica started her time at Northwell in 2018, working at Flexstaff as a Certified Nursing Assistant, caring for adults. She always wanted to work with children so in July 2021 she was thrilled to start a new position at CCMC as a pediatric nursing assistant. In February 2022, she transitioned to an infant care technician in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at CCMC.

As an infant care technician, she takes vitals, changes diapers, consoles and cuddles, feeds and baths the infants who are under her care. While overseeing and reporting any abnormalities during care to the nurses, Yovica also monitors and assists with discharges. Other responsibilities include taking inventory of supplies in patient rooms, infant cribs, and the circumcision room. She also helps to send labs reports and picks up orders from the blood bank. Yovica is dedicated to her work with all the newborns and finds meaning as she helps them grow so they can go home healthy as they begin life with their families.

Before she began her healthcare career, Yovica enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in January 2020 and completed basic training in July 2020 before returning home to begin serving at the Air National Guard base in Westhampton, New York. Currently as an active member of the U.S. Air Force, Yovica is an airman first class (E3) and will soon be promoted to a senior airman.

The U.S. Air Force’s core values are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. Yovica carries and displays those values not just while serving in the military but also while working at CCMC and in her everyday life outside of work. “I have learned the importance of stepping up to the plate and helping my fellow airmen in order to accomplish the mission at hand,” says Yovica. Yovica also appreciates the support she has received throughout her Northwell career from her hiring leaders, team members and the Office of Military and Veterans’ Liaison Services.

Yovica’s next step on her career journey is to become a registered nurse so she can continue to make a difference and impact people’s lives by providing the next level of care as a nurse. She recently passed her board exams and is now officially a licensed RN. Yovica’s leaders supported her throughout her time in school by offering her a more flexible schedule to accommodate her studying. She feels encouraged by her leaders and colleagues, who are constantly pushing her to follow her dreams. She plans to continue to be active in the military to commission to an officer position and work with the medical group on base as a registered. Yovica also plans on moving up to a registered nurse position and continuing her career journey with Northwell.

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