Behind the scenes with a pediatric nurse: Q&A with Meghan Maguire
If you scroll through Meghan Maguire's phone, you might find the typical ongoings of a mom of a 5- and 8-year-old — texts about weekend activities, pictures of school parties, a calendar of upcoming events. But you'll also see messages from friends, family and neighbors with questions like, "Does this rash look concerning to you?"
This is because Meghan is a certified pediatric nurse, and she's worked in the pediatric unit at Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health, for 15 years. She knows a lot of people in town — enough that she's been given the nickname of the "mayor" in her department at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
"You're either related to me or I know you from somewhere," says Meghan. "Since I've worked at Bryn Mawr Hospital for so long and live in the area, I run into a lot of people who recognize me."
Take a look at what a day in Meghan's life as a pediatric nurse looks like:
What inspired you to become a pediatric nurse?
Meghan: I grew up in a really tight-knit neighborhood with all of my current best friends. When I was ten, a friend's mom sat us down one day and said,"Addy is sick and has to go to the hospital." It turns out that Addy had osteosarcoma, which is a cancer of the bone. She had to get her leg amputated, and the day after the amputation, her mom called all of our moms and said, "Listen, I need you to bring the girls here to visit."
My mom brought all of us to the hospital, where we spent the summer with our friend Addy, who now had one leg and had to learn how to be a kid again. I vividly remember being in that hospital hallway doing wheelchair races and seeing these nurses and how important it was to them that Addy had us there.
I thought, "I can do this. This is exactly what I want to be."; Out of the whole group of girls, three of us are nurses.
What role do pediatric nurses play in patient care?
Meghan: I like to say that pediatric nurses are magic. First and foremost, we take care of the patient. We take care of all different ages. You take care of a toddler very differently than you take care of a teenager.
Day to day, we do our care and vital signs. We play with the kids. We are therapists — we do whatever we need to do in order to help our patients.
We're the children's nurses, but we also take care of the parents and the grandparents. A big part of pediatric nursing is not only the patient but the situation that surrounds the patient. You're the lifeline to these parents who are in the hospital with their child, and they often have a whole other crew of kids at home.
Sometimes the parents are exhausted. We have a playroom, and it's not uncommon for the nurse to be found in the playroom with the patient while the parents are sleeping because they had a rough night. We make sure that everybody eats, including the parents.
We're fortunate that our pediatricians are on the floor 24/7. We have a very close relationship with them. They trust us completely. They take what we have to say into consideration in their plan of care.
What questions do you often get asked as a pediatric nurse?
"Is my child going to be okay?"
Meghan: You have to remember these parents are sleep-deprived and scared. It's a hard question to answer because we don't know. Pediatric patients get sick very quickly and can turn like that [snaps fingers]. Generally, they're going to be okay, but you can't make that promise. My statement is, 'That's the plan.' We're going to do everything we can, and I kind of lay out what our plan is.
"Do you really have to do this (such as take their blood)?"
Meghan: I'm usually seeing parents most likely at their worst moment. Having a sick child is scary and can be taxing on a parent. As a pediatric nurse I'm able to understand that the parents are stressed, tired, scared parent — and it can be a lot for them.
So yes, I do have to do this. Do I want to do this? No, but I know what I'm doing is making your child better. I need to make sure that your child's blood work is okay. I need to draw blood so that we can get to the bottom of what is making your child ill or not feel well.
What do you love about your job?
Meghan: I love the people that I work with. We have a small group, and we work really well together. I trust these people with my life. They're my dearest, closest friends.
I love discharging patients. I love the parents trusting me when I tell them, "We're going to get to a point where I get to send you home and I'm going to be able to say, 'Hey, you did it.'" I love it when I look at them and say, "Remember two or three days ago, we were so worried? Now you get to go home."
I just love being able to help somebody. I love being trusted, and I love it when I get to complete the admission with the discharge and say goodbye.
Pediatric nurses: The glue to pediatric care
Nurses are frequently called unsung heroes, and Meghan is no different. She puts everything into the care of her patients, whether that means playing with them, finding their favorite food or making sure they have an uninterrupted window of sleep. She also eases the anxieties of caregivers, providing calm for everyone else in the room, too.
Whether she's caring for her children or the patients in her pediatric unit, Meghan always has children in her care. But if you ask her, these children are the joy of her job, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Next steps:
Learn more about pediatric care at Main Line Health
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