Kelly Bedner, MSNEd, BSN, RN, CEN

I want to recognize Nurse Educator Kelly Bedner for her due diligence during a very scary time for our family. My infant granddaughter had been brought to Westmoreland ER, sadly misdiagnosed with a typical stomach virus, and then taken to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she was diagnosed with Bowel Intussusception.

As a nurse myself, I saw this as an opportunity to turn a negative into a true learning opportunity, as I believed that the staff in the ER were not familiar with Intussusception; I therefore went straight to the source to prevent this from happening to another child.

I reached out to Kelly, knowing her to be the ER educator, and she immediately put an education plan in place and presented it to the ED staff, nurses, and doctors alike, as this was missed by both! She is an amazing nurse. She took action and not just listened to what was happening, but actually heard me. She is a true asset to the profession.

As not only a nurse but simply a grandmother with a deep fear of this happening again, I believe Kelly’s quick action will prevent this in the future for other children who present to the ER with symptoms that mimic Norovirus and are looked at a little more closely.

Thank you for your service, Kelly!