Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1176470
14 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com October 14–November 18, 2019 MY SPECIALTY by Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, CPC, NC-BC Please tell us about the trajectory of your nursing career. I've always wanted to work in pediatrics. I love kids. I originally went to UC Riverside and earned a B.S. in biology in order to pre- pare for medical school. Towards the end of that program, I realized the differences between what doctors and nurses do. Since I wanted the more personal, hands- on approach, I changed course towards the nursing profession. I began my nursing career at Loma Linda in 2007 as a member of the RN res- idency program on the acute care pedi- atric unit. I chose Loma Linda because I had positive memories from when my brother was a patient there. The residency really prepared me to step out as a new nurse. Through that experience, I had mentors who were available for questions and concerns, so I never felt alone. I was able to begin my career with confidence and a solid grounding of skills and knowledge. When did you first assume charge nurse duties? A couple of years in, I began serving as a preceptor for new grads and students. A few years after that, I became a team leader and relief charge. Then, after my youngest child was born, I began working as a charge nurse. What are your responsibilities? Because our unit is very large, it's divided into three smaller units with a total of 76 beds. I'm in charge of all three units, man- aging anywhere between 12 and 21 nurs- es, plus a fair number of nursing assis- tants. Our managers create our sched- ules, but I do the patient assignments. As charge, when families aren't follow- ing the rules or are otherwise going against the grain, I have to go in and explain our policies. People generally aren't too happy with me in those moments. Our nurses make it a priority to be compassionate and present for fami- lies, but we don't always have the answers they want to hear. What common diagnoses and conditions do you frequently see? It's a very diverse unit without any specif- ic specialty. We see a great deal of trau- ma; pre- and post-surgical patients; and infectious diseases like meningitis, Kawasaki disease, influenza, rhinoviruses and enteroviruses. We also deal with cys- tic fibrosis, short bowel conditions, com- plications from birth anomalies, new- onset diabetes and seizure disorders. Kids on ventilators are in stepdown, but we do care for patients with trachs. We have a video monitoring room for patients with seizures; they're on leads and we can monitor them through our video interface. However, our facility has separate units for oncology and pediatric ICU. I prefer working with the kids who are able to be up and running around. Sadly, we also frequently see kids who are victims of physical and sexual abuse. Seeing kids who've been abused must be one of the hardest things you experience. It's so painful to hear their stories. When they come in, they're usually closed off and afraid. As you care for them, they begin to light up. Then, as you gain their trust, you can get them to smile and interact more. It's a real blessing to watch them become open to being cared for by good people they can trust. It makes me sad and angry that there are terrible people in the world who can do such awful things to innocent, vulner- able children. If I get a second to pick the kids up, I hold them and rock them, but it's honestly hard. You think of your own kids and how you'd feel if someone did such things to them. I always come home and hold my kids close. As the mother of three young children, how does it impact you to see children sick and suffering? My three daughters are 5, 7 and 10. With many of our patients in the same age group, it definitely affects me. As a nurse, you just know too much and can always think the worst when your kids get sick. However, being a mother also makes me more compas- sionate towards the parents we see on the unit. Tami Hitchcock, RN, B.S., CPN Pediatric Acute Care Charge Nurse Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Pediatric Acute Care Treating and nurturing sick and injured children "Hitchcock says being a mother makes her more compassionate towards her patients."