It takes a special person to be a nurse. It takes an extraordinary person to be a pediatric nurse, especially in the pediatric ICU. We have experienced a few extremely difficult cases recently with 2 of our patients passing away in the end. Our entire team worked together seamlessly to provide our best care for them, and it was their primary nurse, Halden, whose efforts were the most notable. Halden embodies the core characteristics of what makes an amazing nurse. She is intelligent, kind, caring, compassionate and selfless. Halden worked tirelessly at the bedside, never stopping to take a break, staying completely focused on all the complexities of lines, drips, meds, orders, vital signs for the patient.
The first patient was a little girl who was extremely sick when she came in and although she wasn't with us long, Halden established a trusting relationship with the parents. She supported them through the most difficult time in their lives and the letter they sent expressed their gratitude for all she did. It put them at ease having her care for their daughter until they made the ultimate gift of organ donation. The family sent a basket to the PICU after and Halden offered it to the families instead of using it herself.
The second patient had been with us for a couple of weeks. He was a teenage boy whose world was turned upside down with a difficult diagnosis which resulted in him starting dialysis. He was quiet and withdrawn and challenging to get him to open up. Halden recognized how difficult everything was for him and took on the challenge to break through to him. After days and days of being in the hospital, Halden went the extra mile and took him outside. She wanted him to have some feeling of normalcy after all he had been dealing with and it seemed to be working. Shortly after he was discharged, he suffered a major complication at home and came back to the PICU in bad shape. He was intubated, on many drips, coded, started on CVVH and ECMO. Halden stayed at the head of the bed, monitoring his vitals closely, giving meds and helping coordinate her teammates to care for the critically ill teenager. Even with everything going on, Halden made sure to make room for the mom and encouraged her to come to sit by the bedside and hold her son's hand. Halden knows the importance of family presence and did all she could to give his mom time with him.
If anyone is deserving of recognition for her efforts and sacrifice for her patients, it is Halden. She is an amazing teammate and our patients are extremely lucky to have her looking out for them.