By Marina Birch, registered nurse, neonatal intensive care unit, and graduate of the CHOC RN Residency in Pediatrics program
Nursing school taught me many things, but nothing compares to what I have learned during the CHOC RN Residency program. Experiencing uplifting days and watching your patients heal helps you see the difference you make in patients’ lives. I hadn’t realized how one amazing day will inspire you to come back to work after you have a rough day.
My patients and their families have taught me lessons I would never have learned by myself. During one shift, I had the privilege of caring for a sweet baby girl who was admitted to the NICU a few hours after she was born. Her mother had barely been able to hold her before the baby began having trouble breathing and was intubated. During my day with her we were able to pull out her umbilical vessel catheter, something that allows blood to be drawn for the baby without repeated needle sticks. In addition to this making the baby more comfortable, this allowed her parents to dress her in a onesie for the very first time. I still remember the pastel onesie that read “Little Miss Sunshine.” We then were able to allow her loving parents to hold her without an IV pole attached to her or a machine breathing on her behalf. Her parents had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
That is one of my all-time favorite days at work because the look on her parents’ faces is something I will always remember. They had wide eyes and massive smiles while holding and looking down at their little one. Something so simple as holding and dressing their child was a huge event they had been waiting for since she was born. Giving parents opportunities to hold their child and emphasizing these moments are what they will remember about their time at CHOC.
CHOC Hospital was named one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020-21 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and ranked in the neonatology specialty.
