Kirsten Chavez
November 2022
Kirsten
Chavez
,
RN +
NICU
St. Charles Health System - Bend Campus
Bend
,
OR
United States
Kirsten comes to work every day and gives 110% effort.
There are many roles within healthcare that often go unnoticed and underappreciated. They are people and roles much like the foundation of a house, absolutely necessary but usually forgotten about until something goes wrong or is missing. Charge Nurses are often one of those roles. Even though the label of charge nurse evokes a sense of responsibility, authority, and respect, it is often not a role that gets much recognition. Charge nurses are often the first people that staff seek out for help, with questions, complaints, and problems. They often get tasked with the challenge of resolving conflicts between staff, upset families, and angry patients. It is not a glorious position but that is essential to the success of a shift.
Kirsten is one of those essential charge nurses in the NICU. She is an excellent clinician with extensive knowledge and experience. Her opinions and insights are sought out by staff, physicians, and management. Her contributions to our unit are undeniable but because so much of what she does is unseen by the patient, she does not get the recognition she deserves. Kirsten comes to work every day and gives 110% effort to make sure the nurses and staff of the NICU are successful in the care proved to our fragile patients. There is no job within our unit that she is unwilling to do.
Here are just a few of the things that Kirsten does: Participated in training and implementation of a Standford resuscitation evaluation and improvement course for NICE. Assisted in testing and developing code narrator for neonatal resuscitation. Attends high-risk deliveries and admits premature and sick infants in the NICU. Is often called to the ER for pediatric traumas, IV starts, and procedures in pediatric patients. She provides lunches and breaks for staff. She is an excellent resource for policy and procedures and the standards of care for NICU. Much of Kirsten's job requires the complex skills of managing people and relationships. She is skilled and compassionate in conflict resolution. She is often seen as a safe person for staff to share and vent frustrations with. She brings that same quality to her interactions with families, especially when a parent or family member is upset or angry. She is talented at showing empathy and attempting to understand a situation from the family's point of view. She shows that same compassion to her coworkers, striving to support and build up her team so that we can provide the best care to our fragile population.
Kirsten is one of those essential charge nurses in the NICU. She is an excellent clinician with extensive knowledge and experience. Her opinions and insights are sought out by staff, physicians, and management. Her contributions to our unit are undeniable but because so much of what she does is unseen by the patient, she does not get the recognition she deserves. Kirsten comes to work every day and gives 110% effort to make sure the nurses and staff of the NICU are successful in the care proved to our fragile patients. There is no job within our unit that she is unwilling to do.
Here are just a few of the things that Kirsten does: Participated in training and implementation of a Standford resuscitation evaluation and improvement course for NICE. Assisted in testing and developing code narrator for neonatal resuscitation. Attends high-risk deliveries and admits premature and sick infants in the NICU. Is often called to the ER for pediatric traumas, IV starts, and procedures in pediatric patients. She provides lunches and breaks for staff. She is an excellent resource for policy and procedures and the standards of care for NICU. Much of Kirsten's job requires the complex skills of managing people and relationships. She is skilled and compassionate in conflict resolution. She is often seen as a safe person for staff to share and vent frustrations with. She brings that same quality to her interactions with families, especially when a parent or family member is upset or angry. She is talented at showing empathy and attempting to understand a situation from the family's point of view. She shows that same compassion to her coworkers, striving to support and build up her team so that we can provide the best care to our fragile population.