Our hospital-based, outpatient unit is comprised of two distinct areas: Pediatric Infusion and Pediatric Sedation. The nurses on this unit, in keeping with the vision of the University of New Mexico Hospital as a leader in the practice of professional nursing in our state, continually analyze their practice and implement process improvement plans to address identified problems. This team of nurses embodies the fundamental commitment to deliver quality nursing care to the pediatric patients they serve.
The Pediatric Infusion Unit opened over 7 years ago as part of the new pavilion, providing care for patients requiring outpatient infusions. The treatments administered by our nursing staff include chemo/biotherapies, blood transfusions, immunoglobulin therapy and therapeutic phlebotomies, to name a few. All of our nurses have received specialized education and training, and all have completed the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Chemotherapy Provider course. This highlyskilled team of nurses cares for children and families facing catastrophic illnesses with grace and compassion each and every day. In addition to the complex care provided in the PIU, the nursing staff also care for patients requiring sedation for procedures and scans in our new Pediatric Sedation Suite.
On October 5, 2016, the Pediatric Sedation Clinic, a brand new 3-bed unit located on the 5th floor of the BBRP, was opened under the direction of Andrea Solano. The nurses in the Pediatric Infusion Unit have taken on the responsibility for staffing and running the Sedation Clinic. The sedation unit has greatly enhanced physicians' ability to correctly diagnose and treat many disorders/diseases on an outpatient basis.
The Pediatric Sedation Suite was created to meet the growing need and demand from health care providers to provide an expedient and safe alternative to general anesthesia for pediatric patients needing diagnostic imaging procedures such as MRIs, CT scans, bone scans and Lasix renograms. In addition, painful procedures as lumbar punctures, bone marrow aspirates, and PICC line placements are also done under sedation for pediatric patients. Although sedation procedures for children have been conducted out of the General Pediatric Clinic in 3ACC for some time, space there was very limited and many patients had a significant wait time before procedures could be accommodated. The need for an organized pediatric sedation program became increasingly apparent as more and more requests for sedated procedures began to accumulate. The collaboration and teamwork that has gone into planning, designing, creating and anticipating every detail that is necessary to open a new unit has been a huge undertaking and has required long hours of work and input from our unit director, Andrea Solano, RN, and the staff of the Pediatric Infusion Unit & Sedation Clinic, as well as many of the General Pediatric Clinic staff.
The practice of sedating pediatric patients to do these necessary and often painful procedures demands that the nursing staff possess a very specific set of skills and training. This training has taken several months and included education regarding guidelines for pre-screening patients to determine appropriateness for sedation, proper drug dosing and administration, monitoring requirements for pre-, intra-, and post-sedation as well as training on special pumps and equipment. The nurses have worked collaboratively with the physicians, hospitalists, and intensivists to serve the pediatric patients requiring sedated procedures, thereby greatly reducing the number of patients sent for general anesthesia. In addition, the sedation team implemented a PDSA to determine the effectiveness of intranasal sedation medication for children who don't require IV access for medications or contrast. This less invasive method, along with offering the option of special movie goggles for older children getting lengthy scans, has reduced the inherent risk posed by sedation, as well as shortening recovery time.
Our unit director has worked tirelessly to put together all the details that go into opening a new unit. Many of the PIU staff nurses have spent hours of their work time stocking supplies, organizing drawers and getting the Pediatric Sedation Suite ready for use. Some of our more experienced nurses from the General Pediatric Clinic who have cared for these sedation patients mentored and trained the nurses in the PIU to learn the sedation and recovery skills required. It's definitely been a teamwork effort!
Here are a few stories of ways some of our nurses have made a difference and gone above and beyond to help patients in the PIU and new Pediatric Sedation Suite:
A family who brought their infant from Las Cruces for a CT scan gave their child water to drink shortly before arriving for the sedation. Despite the instructions they received from our nurse the day before, they said they thought water would be okay. When told that we would not be able to sedate the infant due to the baby needing to be NPO for the scan, the family was very upset to have come all the way from Las Cruces, only to be rescheduled for another time. The nurses worked with mom to calm thepatient enough to fall asleep, then swaddled the baby and took the patient to CT scan, where the scan was successfully completed without needing sedation! The family expressed their gratitude repeatedly that the nurses took their time to calm the baby and do the scan regardless of needing sedation. The nurses of the Pediatric Infusion Unit & Sedation Clinic continually evaluate how a patient and family can be accommodated to achieve the best outcomes.
In another instance, the mother of a child needing an MRI was extremely anxious about her child needing sedation with IV medication. The sedation nurse explained every aspect of the sedation process to the mom and grandpa who had accompanied the child. As their questions were answered and they were reassured about the procedure, the mom felt more comfortable and trusting. The patient was successfully sedated and the MRI was completed. The mom and grandpa were very pleased and complimented the sedation team on a job well done! As they left the sedation unit with their child, they thanked the staff for all they did over and over.
Another example of a PIU nurse going above and beyond to help a family is when a PIU nurse recommended a family get a handicapped parking placard for their disabled child. She looked up the paperwork and printed it off, gave it to the doctor to fill out and sign, then helped them apply for the special parking permit. The family does not speak English, so this was very helpful and made a big difference in being able to come on time to appointments and have less stress in getting here. In addition, as the family must soon travel out of state to have more medical care done, the handicapped parking permit will make life a bit easier as they navigate through an unfamiliar health care system.
Perhaps most meaningful of all, are the words of a mother of a 5-year old little girl battling leukemia:"Our daughter has been in the care of the Pediatric Infusion Unit for 10 months now for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment. During this time, the staff in the PIU have become like family to us. Our daughter's treatment has been difficult, and there is no place she'd rather be than in the PIU. Their staff goes above and beyond to make sure our daughter is comfortable and happy and always take special care to meet her individual needs. In addition to the love and care they provide our daughter and every other child that walks through those doors, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and efficient. As parents, we are so grateful for their compassion and strength, especially when ours is broken. They not only embrace the children they take care of, but the caretakers as well, which means so much to a parent who is tired, weary, and needs a shoulder. Though our daughter loves all her doctors and nurses, when it's time to be at the hospital she asks to be in the PIU. We honestly feel the same way. It's because of the amazing staff that makes the PIU a positive place for care of such horrible illnesses. We love the PIU staff!�
The nurses of the Pediatric Infusion Unit & Pediatric Sedation Clinic are highly deserving of this Award and have truly exemplified teamwork as they strive together to provide excellent care to the children that come through each day.

Members of the Pediatric Infusion Unit & Sedation Clinic include:
Andrea Solano, RN
Doris Tinagero, MSN, RN, FAAN
Monica Arencon-Smith, RN, BSN
Sharon Baca, RN, CPN
Lisa Jung, RN, CPN
M. Teresa Keppler, RN, BSN, CPON
Sarah Landavazo, RN, CPN
Aileen Maese, RN
Ralph Melendez, MA, PCC
Janell Morris, RN, BSN, CPN
Monica Sanchez, RN, BSN, CPN
Lesley Schumann, RN, BSN
Armie Sy, RN, BSN, CPN
Katherine Bergs, RN, BSN, CCRN
Kelli Bishop, RN, BSN
Susan Crowley, RN, BSN, CPN
Christina Gonzales, RN, BSN
Vanessa Johnson-Villa, RN, BSN, CPN
Dolores Lujan-Ortega, RN, CPN
Kimberly Marti, RN, BSN
Amelia Martinez, RN, BSN
Javon Martinez, RN, BSN, CPN
Rebecca Trujillo, RN, BSN
Irene Vaughn, RN, BSN, CPN
Ashley White, RN, BSN, CPN
Jennifer Kean, Child Life
Mollie Duginski, Child Life
Brittany Dziuda, Child Life
Shelby Eggen, Child Life