Pediatric Nurses Making a Difference
One Nurse’s Story
One crazy night in December on the pediatrics floor I remember admitting a twin newborn baby girl. She was admitted for feeding problems. When I went in to assess her, I saw how sick she looked. I just couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong with her. So, I went to our Chief of Pediatrics and asked if she could transfer her to the PICU. The patient transferred to the PICU and I continued my night. I was off the next few days and never knew what happened to my patient.
The next December rolled around and a visitor walked up to me on the Pediatric floor. She said I know you don’t remember me but a year ago you saved my baby’s life. She then told me that the previous year I asked the doctors to put her baby in the PICU and they found a life threatening heart defect. Her baby was airlifted to CHOA and had cardiac surgery. I assured her it was the doctors and surgeons who saved her baby’s life and not me. She then showed me a picture of her healthy, one year old daughter. That day I learned my voice matters, so much that it could save a child’s life, and that’s cool.
That child is 26 now