Children's Hospitals Today - Winter 2023 - 11

EVERYDAY HERO / ROUNDS
to get an approximation. All of this occurred
without pain medicine.
Then when I was 34, I had a knee joint
replacement-not a normal knee but a fragile
rheumatoid joint with very thin bones. I had
forgotten about orthopedic pain. But my nurse
understood. She looked at me and told me she
knew the pain was not controlled. Before
leaving to track down a doctor for pain meds,
she assured me she would be right back. She
assured me she wouldn't neglect my pain. All
those years that I was a critical care nurse, I had
never thought to do that, I had never known
how comforting that was for the patient.
5 | All nurses provide
critical care
When I started as an adult critical care nurse,
we thought of ourselves as goddesses. I knew
there was a unit in the hospital that took care
of mothers and babies, and I thought their
work was probably a little easier than mine.
Little did I know how wrong I was.
After giving birth to my first-born child, I
had a sudden post-partum hemorrhage, losing
several pints of blood. I learned that day that
critical care nursing happens in every department
of the hospital, not just in a critical care
unit. I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for
those mother-baby nurses.
All my experiences as a patient remind me
of my purpose as a nurse and why I never quit.
We can make a difference in the lives of others
every day by what we do.
Pamela Hunt, M.S.N., RN, NEA-BC, FAA, is
an associate faculty member at Indiana
University and a consultant and author.
Tell us your story. Email
magazine@childrenshospitals.org.
Meaningful murals
A CICU nurse draws colorful pictures to offer
a ray of light in the darkness.
BY ASHLEY ROBERTS
AS A NURSE in the cardiovascular
intensive care unit at Johns
Hopkins All Children's Hospital in
St. Petersburg, Florida, Sandra
Vizer, RN, knows her role is to
support her patients physically,
emotionally and mentally. To do
this, she leverages a special talent
to help put heart patients and
families at ease. Vizer draws kidfriendly
murals, from butterflies
to favorite movie characters, on
the doors of patient rooms in her
unit to uplift patients, families and
their visitors-even fellow staff.
" I just happen to have this artistic
skill that I am grateful I can use to
support them in a different way, "
she says.
JOY IN THE SADNESS. The
murals began when a patient
was recovering from surgery in a
different unit from her twin sister
and the mom was having a hard
time. Vizer drew a mural about
sisterhood, and that's how this
passion project blossomed. " There
are very sad times, but there are
happy moments, too, " Vizer says.
" You have to remember to look for
those little moments. "
CHANGE OF COURSE. Vizer
wasn't always on track to become
a nurse. After graduating with a
master's degree in international
business and a plan to apply to law
school, she realized she wanted to
do something she considered even
more meaningful. " Now I couldn't
imagine anything else, " she says.
" I love kids and babies! "
SMALL GESTURE, BIG EFFECT.
" I've heard comments from
parents, patients and staff
appreciating the artwork. This
has impacted the unit in such
a positive way. I'm grateful
something like this can shine
and make a difference, " she says.
" There's a lot of gratification
from doing something special for
them and seeing their smiles. I
know this small thing was able to
make their hospitalization a little
less stressful. "
Nominate an Everyday Hero. Email magazine@childrenshospitals.org.
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Winter 2023
11
Children's Hospitals Today - Winter 2023

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