Nursing

Nursing at Children's

At Children's Hospital Boston, we take pride in providing care to our patients and their families, and in doing so with integrity, compassion and expertise. We accomplish this by embracing a culture of support, from our patients to their families to the other nurses and professionals on our team.

The delivery of our nursing care program emphasizes collaboration, continuity, planning and education. As part of our professional practice environment care, we assign a primary nurse or primary nurse team to each patient to coordinate his or her care throughout the entire stay at Children's. Every nurse works as part of a multi-disciplinary team to make sure each and every patient gets effective, compassionate, family-centered care.

Spotlight

Pediatric Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Provider Program

This is a 2-day course designed to provide nurses with the knowledge base needed to safely care for children and adolescents receiving chemotherapy or biotherapy. Nurses will learn both the theoretical knowledge and key principles needed to safely, competently, and consistently administer chemotherapy and biotherapy. Nurses who have successfully completed the APHON Pediatric Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Providers program will have been provided with information about the highest standards and practices in pediatric chemotherapy and biotherapy.

For a brochure, and more information, click here.

Pediatric Palliative Care Fellowship

Applications are now being accepted for the Pediatric Palliative Care Fellowship, which runs from July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013. The fellowship is a collaborative effort between Children's Hospital Boston and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), the pediatric palliative care service at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is offering a full time, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner fellowship (July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 ). PACT is an interdisciplinary team dedicated to improving symptoms and quality of life in children with advanced illness, and their families.The team, which includes physicians, an advanced practice nurse and social workers, provides services at the hospital, in the outpatient setting, and in the community. The fellow functions as part of the interdisciplinary team and is responsible for consultation with patients, family members and other medical providers. The fellow will have the opportunity to learn from interdisciplinary experts in the field of pediatric palliative care at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through formal and informal educational opportunities.

This is an opportunity to work with one of the first pediatric palliative care teams in the country and be a part of this unique interdisciplinary fellowship training, along with physician and social work fellows. This is a 12-month fellowship salaried position.

For questions,detailed fellowship description,and application, please contactMarcie Brostoff, MS, RN at (617) 355-8564, or email at Marcie.Brostoff@childrens.harvard.edu

(Application Deadline: March 1, 2012 )

Children’s Hospital is committed to advanced training for Nurses. Each year, we offer post-graduate fellowships in various areas of the hospital. Fellowship applicants must have a Masters or from an accredited school of nursing and must obtain a Massachusetts license before beginning the fellowship.

Spotlight

Children's Receives Ruby Award from NBNA

As a long standing supporter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Children’s Hospital Boston was honored at the 40^th Anniversary Institute of Excellence Ruby Award Ceremony which was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Children’s was honored for its ongoing corporate support and commitment to NBNA and their efforts to provide members and other health professionals with state-of-the-art continuing education; scholarships to help educate diverse nursing students at all levels; and to provide a wealth of information on a variety of topics on health and wellness, disease prevention and diversity initiatives. The attendees who received the award on behalf of Children’s were Cecelia Waithe, RN, Maggie Pierre, RN, Josh Anyaosah, RN, Earlene Avalón, PhD, MPH, Director of Nursing Diversity Initiatives, and Kathleen Easley, Nurse Recruiter.

The NBNA represents approximately 150,000 African American nurses from the United States, Canada, Eastern Caribbean and Africa, with 80 charted chapters nationwide.

Recent Daisy Award Winners!

The Daisy Award is given to a nurse each month who exhibits qualities of an extraordinary nurse. Most of the nominations are made by patients and families. Winners for the several months this spring/summer are presented below!

July 2011 Winner: Michael Magee RN

Mike was honored as our July DAISY Award recipient for his great care for patients in the Cardiac ICU and dedication to making families feel comforted during times of difficulty . “Michael had such a caring and nurturing way about him. He was always willing to sit at the bedside and answer our questions and reassure us, no matter how long it took. He was top notch with our son, our family, and from what we saw, his peers! He deserves recognition for all that he does. He possesses all of the qualities that you would want your child's nurse to have.” Congratulations to Mike for being an outstanding nurse!

September 2011 Winner: Nadine Spigel RN

Nadine was nominated by a family of a very young patient who spent some time in our Neonatal Intensive care unit. In their nomination the family wrote: “Nadine made us feel loved at a difficult time and she loved my daughter! She is the nurse that made it hard to leave the NICU. And while my daughter has thrived there she had excelled with Nadine. Thank you for giving me my child back and for being the best at what you do. Nadine will always be with my daughter and family!” Congratulations to Nadine for being this month’s winner of the DAISY Award.

October 2011 Winner: Kelly Varney RN

Kelly has only been working in the Oncology unit for one year; and she has already made a great impact on her patients. The family of a patient who spent some time on 6 North wrote the following: “She encourages us as parents that we can take care of our daughter (cancer is overwhelming!) She is loving with our daughter. She is smart, careful, and knows information when we ask. She is knowledgeable and honest and polite. She is perfect for this position! I wish I could bottle her and take her home. What a gift Children's Hospital has in Kelly!” We are very proud and congratulate Kelly on being this month’s winner of the DAISY award.

November 2011 Winner: Rebecca Sherlock NP

Rebecca is a Nurse Practitioner who was nominated by a very grateful mom who truly felt that her care was above and beyond exceptional. In her nomination, this patient’s mother wrote: “It is so comforting to us to know that if I ever have the smallest concern I can always turn on Rebecca for great support. When I talk with Rebecca I feel like I am talking with a friend, not just a nurse. She is so compassionate and always boost my self esteem when she tells me what a good mother I am. She is so smart, she gives excellent advice. She also has such a great personality and is very quick to give you her caring support. Rebecca is a real gem and the only regret I have is that we hadn't known her longer. I really feel Rebecca is very deserving of the DAISY Award.” Congratulations to Rebecca!