Jenifer Sant

    Elizabeth King

    Ellen O'Donnell

    Connie Dinning

    Josh Bourgeois

    Martha Curley

    Mimi Bernardin

 
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The Department of Nursing has an innovative new program to address the nursing shortage...

FULL STORY

 

 


By Matthew Cyr

Ellen O'Donnell, MSN, PNP

Has been a nurse for 32 years; got her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree in 1996

What's the difference between a nurse and a nurse practitioner?
I was a nurse for over 24 years, then decided to get a Master's Degree in Nursing and become a pediatric nurse practitioner. That has helped me expand my nursing skills to the point where I look at the entire continuum of care, both outpatient and inpatient. I do things nurses do like health histories, physical examinations, diagnosis, and disease management, but I also order lab tests, prescribe medications, and counsel and educate patients and families on long-term care.

What do you do in the General Surgery clinic?
I work with the surgeons to evaluate patients before surgery, educate and teach, and answer questions about things like long-term management of complex surgical problems. I also help create educational materials for patients and families, perform research projects and publish articles.

What do you like about working with children?
Children are so honest and open and tell it like it is. They are so much fun. People ask how I can work with sick kids, but I tell them that children are the most courageous people I know. They give anyone they come in contact with an inner strength, a "special" something of themselves. It's hard to describe, but being able to connect with them in some small way is really important to me.

What's the best part of your job?
I love meeting new patients and families, staying connected to the long-term patients and families and making a difference. Sometimes you don't even know you're making a difference until they come back and tell you how something you said or did helped them understand or get through their procedure, test, or intervention. It's great to know that I have somehow touched these families, but they have touched me a whole lot more than they know. There are a lot of special patients and families who take a little piece of your heart with them, but then you know there is someone else coming who will fill that space.

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To support nursing at Children’s, contact Cindy Zilch in the Children’s Hospital Trust at (617) 355-2416 or cindy.zilch@chtrust.org.

 

 
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