Megan Chapman
August 2024
Megan
Chapman
,
RN, MSN
NICCU
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States
Megan isn’t the type of nurse who just takes orders and does what she’s told - she is a proactive nurse that doesn’t just wait for catastrophes, she prevents them.
Our son, C, has been in a rough spot ever since he was transferred to CHLA, and my wife and I have had a difficult time staying hopeful. He is juggling ROP, BPD, MSSA pneumonia, AND rhinovirus. Suffice it to say, this poor boy is being put through so much. We were in a dark place this week as C seemed to be making progress but had a sudden and precipitous drop. Luckily, Megan Chapman had C the past two days, and not only was she able to manage his declining health with grace and positivity, she was able to prevent a potential catastrophe.
As C’s health declined, they transitioned him from the oscillator to the conventional ventilator, and while it seemed to help his oxygen saturation, his CO2 was still quite high. His x-rays showed his lungs collapsing down, and despite making a bunch of tweaks on the vent, things weren’t improving. The doctors were discussing putting him back on the oscillator. But Megan took matters into her own hands and was able to troubleshoot C and determined that there were some mucus plugs preventing the vent from operating properly. With the help of the RT, she was able to suction out four massive plugs! The almost instantaneous impact it had on his lung x-ray was unbelievable, and his CO2 immediately began dropping. Megan isn’t the type of nurse who just takes orders and does what she’s told - she is a proactive nurse that doesn’t just wait for catastrophes, she prevents them. We’ve seen just how dangerous these mucus plugs can be in breathing tubes - we almost lost C’s brother R a few months back when they were born at a different hospital.
My wife and I are beyond thankful that Megan was here when she was. She cared for our baby as if he were her own, and her dedication to her work and the passion with which she does it is beyond evident. Not only did she manage all these very tense situations, but she did so with an unwavering sense of calm resilience and was communicative and kind every step of the way. We hope Megan can be honored for everything she did for us and that she can be a model for what a nurse should be!
As C’s health declined, they transitioned him from the oscillator to the conventional ventilator, and while it seemed to help his oxygen saturation, his CO2 was still quite high. His x-rays showed his lungs collapsing down, and despite making a bunch of tweaks on the vent, things weren’t improving. The doctors were discussing putting him back on the oscillator. But Megan took matters into her own hands and was able to troubleshoot C and determined that there were some mucus plugs preventing the vent from operating properly. With the help of the RT, she was able to suction out four massive plugs! The almost instantaneous impact it had on his lung x-ray was unbelievable, and his CO2 immediately began dropping. Megan isn’t the type of nurse who just takes orders and does what she’s told - she is a proactive nurse that doesn’t just wait for catastrophes, she prevents them. We’ve seen just how dangerous these mucus plugs can be in breathing tubes - we almost lost C’s brother R a few months back when they were born at a different hospital.
My wife and I are beyond thankful that Megan was here when she was. She cared for our baby as if he were her own, and her dedication to her work and the passion with which she does it is beyond evident. Not only did she manage all these very tense situations, but she did so with an unwavering sense of calm resilience and was communicative and kind every step of the way. We hope Megan can be honored for everything she did for us and that she can be a model for what a nurse should be!