Meghan Drastal
December 2020
Meghan
Drastal
,
RN, BSN, CPN
Med/Surg
Children's Hospital Los Angeles

 

 

 

Meghan had the ability to distract him from general discomfort by the storytelling of magical fish that sometimes appear in the saline bag that looked similar to the sticker on her badge.
My son came to Children's Hospital Los Angeles by transfer from another hospital's pediatric unit. Meghan stood out because of her interaction with all of us. I first learned of Meghan when I was at home. My husband called to report my son was starting to feel more comfortable because his fever has gone down, and he seems to be getting along with his new nurse. When it was my turn to be at the hospital with my son, I witnessed and experienced why my son and husband felt comfortable with Meghan. She interacted with my son in a comforting yet fun way. At the time, my son had to be hooked up to an IV machine for saline and medication. He was very unhappy with the whole idea because of the pain with the IV port and limitations to his arm movements. Yet, Meghan had the ability to distract him from general discomfort by the storytelling of magical fish that sometimes appear in the saline bag that looked similar to the sticker on her badge. In addition, Meghan listened and talked to him about his interests and brought him toys that he actually enjoyed playing with. She offered child life to come to talk to him about his upcoming MRI, and she suggested a blow-up mattress on his hospital bed to encourage him to move around in his bed more since he refused to move after his surgery in fear of pain. Once she noticed that I was in tears after talking to a doctor about the results of my son's MRI. After the doctor left, she sat with me for about 20 minutes past her shift, listening to my fears, and providing words of comfort and suggestions on how I can overcome the worry I have. She provided me positivity and comfort when I really needed it.