Sarah Kelly
July 2023
Sarah
Kelly
,
BSN, RN
NICU
Primary Children's Hospital- Intermountain Health
Salt Lake City
,
UT
United States
Sarah's own experiences give her profound empathy for her patients. By the time we left, Sarah understood our son’s condition better than anyone else in the hospital.
We met Sarah on one of the worst days of our lives, the day our infant son was admitted to the NICU at Primary Children’s Hospital. By that point, his carbon dioxide levels had risen to dangerously high levels, he was having episodes of bradycardia, and he was vomiting up everything we tried to feed him. In those early, chaotic days, Sarah made careful observations about our son’s symptoms, often noticing things before anyone else on his medical team. She correctly guessed that his bradycardia was the result of an exaggerated vagal nerve response, an early hint of his eventual diagnosis with a rare genetic condition. She was also incredibly compassionate. At one point, he had a test that left small blue ink stains on his scalp. Sarah sat with him for over an hour, gently wiping the stains away.
In the four months that we stayed in the NICU, we came to appreciate the extraordinary thoughtfulness that Sarah employs in her nursing practice. In one conversation, she mentioned that she follows research about the ways in which infant’s experiences in the NICU can affect their long-term development & health. We also saw how invaluable Sarah is to the unit as a whole. On hectic days, when a patient was admitted in critical condition. Sarah would volunteer to help in whatever way she could. Once, I overheard another nurse in the unit turn to Sarah & say, ‘I’m not used to other nurses helping me out like you do!’
Because our son’s condition is so rare, it was not uncommon for other providers to misunderstand his diagnosis or course of treatment. Sarah was a critical member of his team, keeping track of his symptoms & advocating on his behalf. Eventually, she shared her own experiences with us as a person with a rare medical condition. Just like our son, she experienced misdiagnoses, misunderstandings, and miscommunication between providers. Her own experiences give her profound empathy for her patients. By the time we left, Sarah understood our son’s condition better than anyone else in the hospital. She is not just an exceptional nurse. She is an exceptional healthcare provider who demonstrates the highest level of skill, professionalism & service.
In the four months that we stayed in the NICU, we came to appreciate the extraordinary thoughtfulness that Sarah employs in her nursing practice. In one conversation, she mentioned that she follows research about the ways in which infant’s experiences in the NICU can affect their long-term development & health. We also saw how invaluable Sarah is to the unit as a whole. On hectic days, when a patient was admitted in critical condition. Sarah would volunteer to help in whatever way she could. Once, I overheard another nurse in the unit turn to Sarah & say, ‘I’m not used to other nurses helping me out like you do!’
Because our son’s condition is so rare, it was not uncommon for other providers to misunderstand his diagnosis or course of treatment. Sarah was a critical member of his team, keeping track of his symptoms & advocating on his behalf. Eventually, she shared her own experiences with us as a person with a rare medical condition. Just like our son, she experienced misdiagnoses, misunderstandings, and miscommunication between providers. Her own experiences give her profound empathy for her patients. By the time we left, Sarah understood our son’s condition better than anyone else in the hospital. She is not just an exceptional nurse. She is an exceptional healthcare provider who demonstrates the highest level of skill, professionalism & service.