Melody Probasco
October 2024
Melody
Probasco
,
LPN
Inpatient-Complex Medical West
ChildServe, Inc
Johnston
,
IA
United States
Mel's greatness is in those exceptional moments that all nurses have, but her greatness is really resilience.
With over 42 years of service to children and young adults with special healthcare needs, Mel Probasco is a staple at ChildServe’s Inpatient Complex Medical Care program. The DAISY Award honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. Although Mel is all of those things, when I thought about that statement, I really focused on the words every day. I began to wonder what every day for 42 years must have looked like for Mel.
I tried to imagine what it would be like from the start. She originally began working at ChildServe when it was known as the Convalescent Home for Children, and she would go on to care for individuals on the Continuing Care Unit at ChildServe. I imagined all the changes she has seen in the organization – from the service names to her job titles, the technology she uses, and more.
I imagined the admission of the first patient using an advanced airway and how scary that may have been at the beginning. I imagined the day Mel got to learn new skills and provide a level of care she had never done before. Mel then saw the admission of the first child, who was ventilator-dependent. Today, half of the children we serve use a trach or another form of respiratory support. At each change, Mel learned new skills to provide the best care for the children she cared for. She has done that every day.
She has been with children and young adults on their first day at ChildServe and on their last. She has seen outbreaks of H1N1 and influenza and lived through the dreaded years of the COVID pandemic. She has provided care and adapted her practices to care for the children and young adults she loves every day.
Then there was this whole computer thing...If something was going to force Mel into an early retirement of BINGO playing, it was those dang computers and the use of technology – but instead, she adapted, she learned and continued to provide the same level of care every day.
Through her own personal journeys, to remodels, to evacuations, to power outages, during feast or famine… Mel shows up every day.
I nominate Mel because there aren't nurses like her anymore. She doesn't need accolades or celebrations, but she deserves them. When I think about what Mel has given to these children and young adults, it really is every day.
Mel's greatness is in those exceptional moments that all nurses have, but her greatness is really resilience.
She is steady, she is dependable is adaptable she is a lifetime learner, and she is all those things every day. Please join me in recognizing Mel for the contributions she has made to the nursing profession.
I tried to imagine what it would be like from the start. She originally began working at ChildServe when it was known as the Convalescent Home for Children, and she would go on to care for individuals on the Continuing Care Unit at ChildServe. I imagined all the changes she has seen in the organization – from the service names to her job titles, the technology she uses, and more.
I imagined the admission of the first patient using an advanced airway and how scary that may have been at the beginning. I imagined the day Mel got to learn new skills and provide a level of care she had never done before. Mel then saw the admission of the first child, who was ventilator-dependent. Today, half of the children we serve use a trach or another form of respiratory support. At each change, Mel learned new skills to provide the best care for the children she cared for. She has done that every day.
She has been with children and young adults on their first day at ChildServe and on their last. She has seen outbreaks of H1N1 and influenza and lived through the dreaded years of the COVID pandemic. She has provided care and adapted her practices to care for the children and young adults she loves every day.
Then there was this whole computer thing...If something was going to force Mel into an early retirement of BINGO playing, it was those dang computers and the use of technology – but instead, she adapted, she learned and continued to provide the same level of care every day.
Through her own personal journeys, to remodels, to evacuations, to power outages, during feast or famine… Mel shows up every day.
I nominate Mel because there aren't nurses like her anymore. She doesn't need accolades or celebrations, but she deserves them. When I think about what Mel has given to these children and young adults, it really is every day.
Mel's greatness is in those exceptional moments that all nurses have, but her greatness is really resilience.
She is steady, she is dependable is adaptable she is a lifetime learner, and she is all those things every day. Please join me in recognizing Mel for the contributions she has made to the nursing profession.