Why
did you become a nurse?
I always thought I would become a physician, but I fell in
love with my high school sweetheart and didn’t want
to move too far away for long, so my guidance counselor advised
me to go into a two-year nursing program close to home. I
found that not only was I good at it but loved it as well!
It was divine intervention, and I have absolutely no regrets.
What
made you switch from being a bedside nurse to the director?
I’ve spent the majority of my bedside career as a critical
care nurse for a variety of patient populations. I have always
been interested in organ donation since those bedside days.
After completing management and graduate school, I moved to
California. I became aware of the position at UCLA and I applied.
Another divine intervention!
What
do you miss most about being an attending nurse?
I miss not having direct patient care, because I think everyone
needs to be reminded of why they entered this field. Providing
bedside care gives clarity about why we are here.
How
would you describe your typical day?
There is no such thing as a typical workday. As a unit director,
I serve as a conduit and facilitator for my staff and for
UCLA’s administrative vision and strategy. With over
110 people reporting to me, all with their individual stories
and lives, our priorities — whether it’s operational
issues and processes, assisting staff members or facilitating
the handling of individual patient needs — change daily.
What
led to your participation in the Organ Breakthrough Collaborative
and the Bruins for Life initiative?
As a bedside nurse, I’ve been personally involved in
helping support patients’ wishes to donate organs since
1983. About eight years ago, I began working with One Legacy
— our transplant donor network —
to try to help UCLA improve its donation rate. In September
2004, UCLA joined the HRSA Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative.
In partnership with OneLegacy and the work of many staff and
physicians, we improved our organ donation rate from an average
of 40 percent to over 75 percent. Our success comes from our
ability to modify and adopt the Collaborative best practices
by engaging our staff and multidisciplinary team.
What
is your role in this process?
I
facilitate. I have some direct involvement in my unit, but
at the system level I help to create the protocols to facilitate
the sharing of information. I’m not only the liaison
between the Medical Center and One Legacy, I’m also
the cheerleader!
What
do you find particularly rewarding?
Seeing healthy patients visit us after they’ve survived
their illness and to see how happy that makes the staff.
When
our patients return for a visit, we take two Polaroid camera
shots of them — one for them to keep, and one for the
staff bulletin board. This reminds us all to always keep the
end goal in sight of what is possible.
Describe
one of your most memorable experiences.
There are so many, but one stays with me in particular. Many
years ago, a young man came in to the ICU with a severe open-head
injury from a car accident. He was deemed impossible to save
even in the eyes of the neurosurgeon. He went to the OR for
a debriedment of his severe injury and was brought into the
ICU for what was expected to be end-of-life care. We cared
for him and his family in the ICU for weeks. He survived,
and was discharged. After extensive rehabilitation, he regained
a great deal of function. The day he walked back in to the
ICU using only a cane was a great day! A great challenge in
this job is to balance hope with reality. I feel we need to
inspire hope in our patients and families, but in a realistic
way.
Describe
the most challenging/frustrating experience you’ve had.
In general, the most challenging experiences are when systems
interfere with our ability to provide patient care.
Would
you choose nursing again as a career?
Absolutely! What a privilege it is to be able to share with
patients and their families, our care and compassion during
a significant life event. Moving to California was a huge
and unexpected decision for me. I have a terrific life here
with great friends, a great job and boss, and a wonderful
staff.
|
