Meet Helen, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse!
Welcome to our latest story for our Hospital Friends series! We love to share stories about all of the different kinds of helpers families meet during their hospital journey. We hope this series will help bring awareness to what life is like in the hospital and joy as you meet all of the wonderful folks that help families during their long stays.
Say hello to Helen! She’s a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital/OHSU. We asked her to share what it's like work with babies, what she's learned from babies as a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse and what it's like to live in the hospital. We're honored to share her story with you.
What called you to pediatric hematology/oncology?
I was always drawn to work with children in some capacity. After I started nursing school, I was fascinated by the research involved in oncology care. After I did a clinical rotation in adult oncology, I knew that pediatric oncology would be my calling. The ability to care for the entire family through a very difficult journey is something that is very hard to describe to people at times. We ride the waves of the highs and lows alongside families and often experience victories and losses side by side.
What is a typical night like for you on the hematology/oncology floor?
The night typically starts off fairly busy. There is one big sweep of assessments and medications at the start of the night that we try to get done before our patients head to bed. Since rest is such a crucial aspect to healing (and caregiving), we often make a plan with families for the night to cluster cares together and maximize rest. Early morning lab draws allow for blood products to be administered overnight or early in the morning if necessary.
How are nights different for families with babies?
Babies have such unique sleep patterns and needs. While care and monitoring need to continue throughout the night, rest is also extremely important. Creating a plan with families helps maximize rest in between care. Although it is likely that there will be unplanned reasons to enter a patient's room, it is very helpful for families to know the planned times for medications, vital signs, and cares throughout the night. Older children may be able to soothe themselves back to sleep if they are woken in the middle of the night, but babies often need help and soothing from a caregiver.
What has surprised you about caring for babies?
Babies are innately resilient. Sometimes I have to remind myself of the treatment babies are enduring because they still greet you with sweet smiles. Babies bodies also do a tremendous job of compensating when changes begin to occur in the body. In the hospital setting, it is very important to monitor for changes in a baby’s condition often. Babies can tell us so much through their nonverbal cues.
What are the reasons a baby might stay on the hematology/oncology floor?
We most often see babies on our unit for diagnoses of leukemia, brain tumors, or a condition that requires a bone marrow transplant. The type of leukemia most seen in babies often results in a hospital admission that last around 30 days on average. Babies receiving bone marrow transplants may be admitted for several months.
What have you learned from babies throughout your career?
I’ve learned to celebrate every milestone with babies. I’ve seen babies celebrate their first birthday in the hospital, get their first tooth, and learn to crawl and walk. Sometimes they have setbacks and may even need to relearn to crawl or walk, and it’s still as special of a milestone.
I've also learned the importance of getting to know a baby's cues as their nurse. In a non hospital setting, babies typically give cues for basic needs like hunger and hygiene. In the hospital setting, we look beyond that and determine if they are experiencing pain, nausea, or other side effects from treatment that may require intervention.
How have you seen babies find comfort during their admission?
Babies tend to find comfort in the same things that bring them comfort at home. It is very common for babies to lean towards their favorite books, blankets, and toys for comfort. Music and soothing sounds are a great source of comfort. Parents and caregivers are also such a strong source of comfort in the hospitals, just as they would be at home.
What might people not understand about living in the hospital?
The hospital is a busy place that operates on a unique schedule 24/7. For families in the hospital long term, it is challenging to maintain control of a consistent schedule. While some things may occur at set times, others may fluctuate day to day depending on providers schedules. There isn’t a whole lot of privacy. There are so many members of a child’s care team that families are welcoming so many new faces into their day to day. People unfamiliar with the hospital setting may not realize how many nonmedical personnel are also involved daily. Hospital rooms are not very homey and it really makes a big difference to bring decorations, pictures, or favorite mugs from home to help.
What is the best part about working night shift-from both work and life perspectives. The most challenging?
A personal positive aspect of working night shift from a work perspective is that there are fewer people, including providers, in the hospital at night. This makes it easy to create a nightly plan with a family, knowing that nobody else needs to see your patient.
On the contrary, a challenging aspect of night shift is not being physically present when the bigger decisions and plans are being discussed during rounds. We rely on teamwork and notes from other care providers to see the full picture of care that involves other disciplines like physical therapy, social work, and dietary.
From a personal life perspective, night shift allows me to have dinner nightly with my partner before I leave for work, or facetime my family from out of state. On the flip side, it can be challenging to flip my sleep on days off to line up with a daytime schedule.
Do you have a favorite memory of caring for Cypress?
Cypress was a fairly early riser. Sometimes between 5 or 6 in the morning, I would pop in to check on him and he would be wide awake, with his infectious smile just quietly in his crib. I have a collection of memories of these early morning smiles with Cypress.
