How did the 130-bed, only children’s hospital in Western North
Carolina compare to your previous experiences in health care?
Mission Children’s Hospital did
not compare to any of my previous experiences in health care. It surpassed any
expectation I could have had. I did not know it was a children’s hospital when
we arrived. From the outside, the hospital did not look like it was focused for
children, nor did it when we entered. Once we took the elevators to the general
pediatrics floor, it was evident that this organization took a substantial
amount of effort to ensure the welcoming atmosphere for children. Every inch of
the hallways and patient rooms to thought out to intrigue children of all ages
to be engaged in play and fun instead of feeling down and scared to be there. I
did not feel this way in my other hospital experiences.
Consider how
hospitalization effects children and their families. How does this
organization apply family-centered care?
As stated in a study by
Bsiri-Moghaddam, K., Basiri-Moghaddam, M., Sadeghmoghaddam, L., & Ahmadi,
F. (2011), “hospitalization
of children can bring about negative changes and mental and spiritual pressure
on children and their parents, and can endanger their health.” I have seen this to be true for
children that are scared of where they are, knowing it is a hospital, and
parents being stressed over accommodating their lives to care for their child
in need. The pediatric floors are painted and decorated in interesting ways to
attract the children’s attention as well as teach them about the medical field.
One way in particular was the x-ray light in the playroom where children can
look at pictures and find objects in stuffed animals. They can also play
pretend to insert NG tubes and give the doll an IV with its own IV pole and med
bag. This is beneficial for the child to be more comfortable if they have to
have these procedures done on themselves. This puts parents’ minds at ease to
see that the nurses have thought of everything like this to show how dedicated
they are. If parents trust the staff caring for their child, the less stressed
the parents may be.
How does the environment in Asheville, NC compare or contrast to
Cherokee, NC? What stood out to you the most today?
Both of the hospitals are in
great condition with an attention to detail pertaining to the community that
stay in the establishment. For Mission, the focus is on children’s comfort, so
walls are painted in murals and there are “street names” instead of regular
room numbers to allow children to be engaged with the environment. At Cherokee,
the focus is around the culture’s passion for nature. They involved this
concept at their new hospital by having large, open windows to view the fields,
trees, and mountains that their land offers them. This is important for the
healing of their patients by using sunlight and nature views as a healing
technique. What stood out to me most today was the NICU at Mission Children’s
Hospital. As I have in interest in OB, Women & Children’s Health, and a
love of babies, I knew that visiting the NICU would be a special experience for
me. I was able to see and learn more than I could have expected from a nurse with
a genuine passion for her career. Seeing a nurse with this love for what she
does makes me strive to have that kind of hope and drive as a nurse one day. If
I land in NICU, I can only hope I can be as much of a nurse as she is. If my
heart brings me to another field, I will work to show my passion every day on
the floor, as well as to those who encounter me.
Reference
Bsiri-Moghaddam, K.,
Basiri-Moghaddam, M., Sadeghmoghaddam, L., & Ahmadi, F. (June 2011). The
concept of hospitalization of children from the view point of parents and
children. Iranian Journal of Pediatrics,
21 (2), 201-208. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3446164/.
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