Pam Spencer
April 2016
Pam
Spencer
,
RN, BSN
Pediatric Inpatient and Emergency Department
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Baltimore
,
MD
United States
Pamela Spencer has a passion for working with children and their families and has a particular interest in children with special needs. Pam has a 22-year old son who is living with Autism. She has experienced a sometimes dreadful, but most often, exhilarating journey. Above all, Pam has learned to appreciate the little victories and lives to make kids smile.
Thanks to Pam, we had a very special day on the Pediatric floor. It was a difficult time on our unit, as we were experiencing a higher than usual acuity, with some very sick post-surgical inpatients. Many of them were finding ambulation painful and difficult, and the nurses were struggling to find ways to motivate them out of bed. Pam recognized this, and when she left work after a busy Saturday, she had an idea on how to help the children and their families.
Pam raises butterflies, and thought she could use them as a motivator. Pam stayed up late readying her butterflies to come to GBMC to be released the next day, in the hopes coming to see the release would encourage her patients to get out of bed and ambulate. Pam worked hard that morning to assure that all of the surgical patients were at a point that morning where they would be free of treatment so they could leave their rooms and go outside by 12 noon. These children and their families headed outside with a special box with 20 butterflies in it.
Once outside, Pam joyfully let the butterflies go, and an amazing transformation occurred. The mood of the patients, the families, and the nurses elevated. Everyone came in with a smile on their face, busily talking about how cool it was when the butterflies landed on them and then headed south. Pam happily explained the journey of the butterfly to these families, as they eagerly took it all in. Later that day, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the patient's mother who was concerned about her very sick child. The mother described the experience as "freeing" and "beautiful". Anyone who has had a sick child knows the pain and complete exhaustion you feel with a very ill child. Pam eased that in a very tangible way.
Pam Spencer is a gift to our unit and to the patients we serve.
Thanks to Pam, we had a very special day on the Pediatric floor. It was a difficult time on our unit, as we were experiencing a higher than usual acuity, with some very sick post-surgical inpatients. Many of them were finding ambulation painful and difficult, and the nurses were struggling to find ways to motivate them out of bed. Pam recognized this, and when she left work after a busy Saturday, she had an idea on how to help the children and their families.
Pam raises butterflies, and thought she could use them as a motivator. Pam stayed up late readying her butterflies to come to GBMC to be released the next day, in the hopes coming to see the release would encourage her patients to get out of bed and ambulate. Pam worked hard that morning to assure that all of the surgical patients were at a point that morning where they would be free of treatment so they could leave their rooms and go outside by 12 noon. These children and their families headed outside with a special box with 20 butterflies in it.
Once outside, Pam joyfully let the butterflies go, and an amazing transformation occurred. The mood of the patients, the families, and the nurses elevated. Everyone came in with a smile on their face, busily talking about how cool it was when the butterflies landed on them and then headed south. Pam happily explained the journey of the butterfly to these families, as they eagerly took it all in. Later that day, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the patient's mother who was concerned about her very sick child. The mother described the experience as "freeing" and "beautiful". Anyone who has had a sick child knows the pain and complete exhaustion you feel with a very ill child. Pam eased that in a very tangible way.
Pam Spencer is a gift to our unit and to the patients we serve.