June 10, 2024

Meet Mary Beth Loughran, RN-BSN, CCRN, a staff nurse in our Medical Center Level 4 NICU. Inspired by the care her nephew received here several years ago, she pursued nursing as a second career and has served her unit in several capacities including bedside nurse, transport nurse, nurse instructor, preceptor and ECMO nurse.

Why do you love Texas Children’s?

I appreciate the learning opportunities and the culture of supporting nursing education. I also enjoy my co-workers, and always feel supported by my charge nurses and managers.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I recently traveled to Bolivia on a medical mission trip, where I worked with an incredible team to set up wellness and education clinics in four different remote villages over eight days. In total, our team served nearly 1,200 patients. Our goal was to leave the indigenous people who had little to no access to health care with skills, knowledge and sustainable resources, and I had the privilege of teaching nursing students and medical providers the basics of neonatal thermoregulation and resuscitation.

How do you stay motivated and inspired away from work?

I’m currently working towards a doctoral degree at Baylor University to become a neonatal nurse practitioner. When I’m not at work or in clinicals, I’m studying and learning more about the NICU specialty. I’m inspired to help premature critically ill infants live fuller lives, and as a future DNP, I hope to become a leader at the bedside.

Tell us about a patient or family interaction that made an impact on you.

I provided consistent care to an infant with a chronic condition who remained on our unit for several months. They were eventually discharged after a tracheostomy surgery. It’s always rewarding to see patients beat the odds and feel gratitude from the family.

Where is your favorite spot at work to eat, socialize or recharge?

Starbucks!

May 13, 2024

Nurses Week might be over, but our appreciation for the more than 4,400 nurses across the Texas Children’s system is endless. From daily dress-up themes and sweet treats, to massage sessions across hospital campuses, it was a week filled with celebration and camaraderie.

“To each and every nurse across the Texas Children’s system – we celebrate you, we care about you and above all else, we support you,” said President Debra F. Sukin in an email to team members. “Whether you are caring for patients at the bedside, coordinating complex treatments, or providing comfort and support to those in need, you are the pillar that holds our organization together.”

2024 Nursing Excellence Awards

Texas Children’s Nursing Excellence Awards are presented each year during Nurses Week, an observance recognizing exceptional nurses for going above and beyond in patient care, collaboration with team members and for their overall contributions toward driving positive change and innovation in the nursing profession.

“In the field of nursing, excellence is the standard,” said System Chief Nurse Executive Dr. Jackie Ward. “However, there are members of our team for whom that standard is surpassed day in and day out. Our Nursing Excellence Awards honor these individuals for their life-changing work.”

This year’s award winners are:

  • Staff Nurse of the Year: Kim Murphy (Staff Nurse, 11 WT)
  • Nurse Resident of the Year: Suzanne Alonzo (Staff Nurse, 11 WT)
  • Nurse Preceptor of the Year: Zenda Amancio (Staff Nurse, PICU)
  • Advanced Degree Nurse of the Year: Lauren Salinas (Clinical Specialist, CICU)
  • Nurse Leader of the Year: Nikashia Franklin (Assistant Clinical Director, Palliative Care)
  • Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year: Dr. Kelli Irwin (Nurse Practitioner, CICU)
  • Friend of Nursing: Dr. Bradley Scherer (Physician, ACHD/CICU)

Additionally, several nursing scholarships were awarded to provide financial assistance in continuing education and career development:

  • Dr. David & Polly Roth Nursing Scholarship: Jacqueline Gutierrez
  • Len Slusser Nursing Scholarship: Kimberly Lopez
  • Flo McGee Nursing Scholarship: Ashlynn Engel & Victoria Ann Madrigal
  • Molly Mae LeBlanc Nursing Scholarship: Mary Ann Callejo & Elena Boyaci
  • Dr. Lois J. Moore Nursing Scholarship: Karina Moreno

Team members at our brand-new North Austin Campus were also recognized at their inaugural Clinical Excellence Awards ceremony. The winners included:

  • Nurse Leader of the Year: Kami Stone (Assistance Clinical Director, EC & Transport) & Lindsey Servino (Assistant Clinical Director, Women’s Inpatient)
  • Staff Nurse of the Year: Cathy Hensley (Staff Nurse, Otolaryngology)
  • ATX Award: Dwain Roberson (Assistant Director, Support Services)
  • Clinical Excellence Award: Kristen Davis (Diabetes Education Specialist)
  • Friend of Nursing: Dr. Pam Ashley (Physician, EC) & Raymond Scott (Manager, Biomedical Engineering)
Houston Chronicle’s Salute to Nurses

Every year, the Houston Chronicle recognizes and celebrates the integral roles nurses play in delivering patient care by requesting nominations from the Greater Houston community. Texas Children’s is proud to announce Sharon Staton (Clinical Specialist, BMT) was included among the Top 15 Nurses of the Year – in addition to being named on the Texas Nurses Association’s 25 Outstanding Texas Nurses for 2024 list!

Congratulations are also in order for the 32 additional Texas Children’s nurses who earned recognition among the Salute to Nurses Top 200 Nurses of the Year list:

  • Aleida Stark
  • Alice Thomas
  • Alva Mixon
  • Amy Valdez
  • Annabelle Gonzalez
  • April Lyle
  • Arlene De La Cruz
  • Barbara Ruddell
  • Brandi Mealey
  • Candace Zenger
  • Chelsea Campbell
  • Cindy Thompson
  • Claire Myers
  • Corey Gates
  • Cynthia Shelby
  • Diana Harter
  • Donna Daigle-Tinsley
  • Janet Winebar
  • Jennifer Segovia
  • Kate D’Ambrosio
  • Katherine Crockett
  • Kathleen Ulanday
  • Mandy Sachs
  • Marlon Villanueva
  • Max Abogador
  • Meghan Benigay
  • Mercy Thundiyil
  • Nikashia Franklin
  • Olivia Davis
  • Rachel Gresham
  • Randall Bowen
  • Reji Biju

There was a May 2 luncheon celebration at the Royal Sonesta Hotel to recognize all the honorees. Click here to learn more about Salute to Nurses.

May 6, 2024

System CNE Jackie Ward kicks off a week of fun activities and celebration. Read more

March 11, 2024

Supportive colleague submitted the following Caught You Caring recognition for Staff Nurse Jake Jacobsen.

“Jake demonstrated impeccable communication skills in a very chaotic code and emergent ECMO cannulation on his patient. He was tasked with medication administration and he utilized clear, concise and closed loop communication throughout. His innate attention to detail was evident. He is very clearly a caring individual who takes pride in his work. I have enjoyed seeing him grow from a new graduate RN to a natural leader on the unit. I am eager to see what amazing things he will accomplish as he continues to progress within his role.”

Caught You Caring

There are countless examples of how team members make an impact every day. Through our Caught You Caring recognition program, anyone (patients, families, colleagues, vendors, volunteers or visitors) can provide a kind word about someone who went the extra mile. Even the smallest act of kindness can brighten someone’s day. Click here to submit a recognition for a colleague. The recipient and their leader will receive an email notification. Since its inception in 2015, there have been more than 40,000 recognitions submitted.

January 29, 2024

On January 23, Texas Children’s Hospital launched its most recent major care venture – virtual nursing. The Virtual Care Network will transform the bedside care model, provide on-demand support and offer real-time surveillance.

While virtual nursing has recently grown in popularity among adult hospitals, Texas Children’s is set to be the first major children’s hospital with a robust program. Focused initially on care model redesign, it reimagines typical patient care at the bedside – removing administrative tasks from the bedside nurse and taking family-centered care “beyond the bedside” by offering coordinated, convenient support to patients using technology.

In October, over 60 providers, leaders, parents and care team members assembled to bring the vision for virtual nursing to life. “Innovation is contagious, and nurses are especially primed for it,” said System Chief Nurse Executive Jackie Ward as she opened the kickoff event. “They are critical thinkers who get creative with solutions and look at problems from multiple angles…they are tenacious and caring, constantly assessing situations to improve patient care.”

The NICU is the first department to pilot the virtual nursing care model redesign. This hybrid model adds a virtual nurse to the clinical care team from a remote hub, and through these virtual interactions, parents and caregivers can access supportive resources without interruption of bedside care. Virtual nurses will focus on department orientation following admission, enhanced education, support during the length of stay, and robust discharge readiness planning with intention to expand to different inpatient areas over the next year.

“Protecting our teams from burnout continues to be a top priority…with this redesign of duties, we can work to retain nurses who may have otherwise left the bedside and continue delivering compassionate care to families” shared Ashley Simms, Assistant Vice President, Nursing.

Virtual nursing offers game-changing opportunities around how we cater to our patients, families and nursing teams with evolving needs. The creation of this network highlights all the talents that make us One Amazing Team – problem solving, collaboration, patient advocacy, continuous learning and adaptability.

Stay tuned for more to come from the Virtual Care Network! For more information about the initiative or NICU pilot, please connect with one of our workgroup leaders:

December 11, 2023

System Chief Nurse Executive Dr. Jackie Ward invites you to the final Nursing Town Hall of 2023 on Friday, Dec. 15 from 1-2 p.m. at the Pavilion for Women Conference Center (fourth floor). If you’re unable to attend in person, you can stream the presentation on Microsoft Teams.

During the live event, Jackie and co-presenters will share important system updates and touch on topics like workplace safety, new HR benefits and virtual nursing. You can pre-submit questions for discussion during the event – any unanswered questions will get an email response.

Patient care is our first priority, so don’t worry if you can’t attend or watch the livestream. A recording will be available on-demand on the Voice of Nursing blog after the event.

Add it to your calendar and spread the word! Click here to view the flyer.

October 10, 2023

After climbing Mount Kilamanjaro this summer, L&D nurse Morgan Fischer stopped in Malawi to volunteer at a birthing center and visit one of our area global health centers. Read More