September 2016
Meg
Szucs
,
BSN, RN
ER
Memorial Hospital of South Bend
South Bend
,
IN
United States
Imagine, you are a mom out of town celebrating your 7th wedding anniversary, and you receive a call no one ever wants. "your daughter is injured and on her way to the Memorial Hospital ER". The only comfort in a hurricane of fear, is in the 6 years I've spent as a nurse at Memorial, the incredible staff I had gotten to know in the ER and the times I've seen them in action. I knew my daughter was headed to the best place she could possibly be when she needed help.
After all of the initial assessments were completed, it was decided my little two-year-old was going to need sedation. My husband and I had made it back in town and were moved to a trauma bay to accommodate space for everyone involved. That's when we met Meg. I'd seen her in the past in meetings and made multiple phone calls to her for advice, but never got to see her in action. First and foremost, any nurse willing to take direct care of a child in an emergency situation is already a hero; but, a nurse who holds your child's little face, combing her hair with her fingers, talking to her, wiping her drool, making sure her eyes don't get dried out, that's the true heart of nursing. She explained everything before it happened, constantly reassuring us it was all normal, so when it happened, it wasn't as scary.
Meg didn't talk to me like a nurse, she talked to me like a scared mom who needed reassurance. She was so calm and confident of her skill, which is extremely reassuring. She juggled the direct care of my daughter, carried on a humorous conversation with us, the training of a new nurse, answering questions and providing education for everyone in the room, and still gave my little girl the love and care I imagine Meg would give her own child.
I just can't put into words the level of expertise and compassion she exhibited in one of our scariest moments. She treated us all as though we were the patient, she included us in every step, making sure we were handling it ok. Her level of compassion and experience made all the difference. We are so thankful to Meg and all the ER staff.
After all of the initial assessments were completed, it was decided my little two-year-old was going to need sedation. My husband and I had made it back in town and were moved to a trauma bay to accommodate space for everyone involved. That's when we met Meg. I'd seen her in the past in meetings and made multiple phone calls to her for advice, but never got to see her in action. First and foremost, any nurse willing to take direct care of a child in an emergency situation is already a hero; but, a nurse who holds your child's little face, combing her hair with her fingers, talking to her, wiping her drool, making sure her eyes don't get dried out, that's the true heart of nursing. She explained everything before it happened, constantly reassuring us it was all normal, so when it happened, it wasn't as scary.
Meg didn't talk to me like a nurse, she talked to me like a scared mom who needed reassurance. She was so calm and confident of her skill, which is extremely reassuring. She juggled the direct care of my daughter, carried on a humorous conversation with us, the training of a new nurse, answering questions and providing education for everyone in the room, and still gave my little girl the love and care I imagine Meg would give her own child.
I just can't put into words the level of expertise and compassion she exhibited in one of our scariest moments. She treated us all as though we were the patient, she included us in every step, making sure we were handling it ok. Her level of compassion and experience made all the difference. We are so thankful to Meg and all the ER staff.