Part 2 of 2
National Nurses Week is the perfect time to celebrate our team of amazing nurses who provide incredible care to every patient and their families. Enjoy the nurse’s story who shares not only what it means to be a Woman’s nurse, but a Woman’s patient too.
In early 2000s, I was diagnosed with breast cancer during one of our hospital’s annual mammo-thon events for employees. Once again, I was rolled into Woman’s Hospital in a wheelchair as a patient and, yes, all of my nurses were kind, professional and caring. So you could say Woman’s Hospital saved my life. As a mother of four I am not sure I would have ever gotten around to scheduling a mammogram on my own, but as a hospital employee, this was an additional benefit offered to us. The surgical nursing staff (my family away from home) supported me during this entire ordeal, helping out with meals, filling in at work and running errands. Their support made my journey with breast cancer so much easier.
In 2005, I volunteered to serve as the ANCC Magnet Champion Chair during the journey to Woman’s first Magnet designation for nursing excellence. I have continued in this role since that time, and we are now on the path to our third Magnet designation. Woman’s Hospital has benefited greatly from our three Magnet journeys by supporting the professional practice of nursing and excellence in nursing care for our patients, families and the community.
In 2010, Woman’s provided me with the resources needed to continue my education as I went back to school to obtain my BSN and MSN.
In 2011, my daughter in law and niece were hired as nurse techs in surgery, and Labor and Delivery, and after graduation from nursing school, as new nurses in Labor and Delivery. They are kind, professional and caring nurses.
In 2012, my own daughter began working at Woman’s as a nurse tech and was later hired as a nurse in the NICU. She is a kind, professional and caring nurse. Since I personally specialize in caring for the neonates and infants undergoing surgery, it has been an added pleasure to have the opportunity to work with my own daughter during the past three years on some of our critical maternal, neonatal and fetal surgery cases.
From 2010 to 2015, I have had the pleasure of watching three of my grandchildren being born here at Woman’s. The nurses who cared for them and their mothers were kind, professional and caring.
To recap, Woman’s has been the place where my four children and three grandchildren were born. Woman’s and my Woman’s family were lifesavers when I was facing breast cancer. It has been my home away from home and second family for the past 31 years of employment. It is the place where I choose to practice the profession of nursing. It has been a pleasure and an honor to practice nursing here at Woman’s. Where else would I practice nursing as a kind, professional and caring nurse but here at Woman’s?