Trang Vu shares her experiences in the Professional Advancement Program, a voluntary program that provides staff nurses an opportunity to be recognized for their commitment to excellence in nursing practice. Read more
June 8, 2021
When children and families throughout the Houston area need expert care to evaluate, treat and manage a variety of wounds, there is only one place in the local community for them to go: Texas Children’s Wound Care Clinic.
And now – after our most recent expansion to accommodate that ever-increasing need – our patients can find service close to home at the newly opened Wound Care Clinic at West Campus.
“There is no other service like this being offered anywhere in Houston,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, who serves as Surgeon-in-Chief and holds the S. Baron Hardy Chair in Plastic Surgery. “This is a genuine value to these patients and will elevate the level of care they receive. The ease of access will clearly set this clinic apart.”
Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurses have provided wound care at Texas Children’s campuses for several years, treating conditions as varied as animal bites, chronic wounds, soft tissue infections, thermal skin injuries and trauma. These nurses have highly specialized skills that require intensive training, certification and experience that very few achieve, according to Anita Harris-Brown, director of Nursing Clinical Support Operations.
But just as the Texas Children’s system has grown, so has the demand for wound care services in inpatient and outpatient areas. This prompted leaders to set their sights on a new dedicated clinic inclusive of wound care nurses, physician assistants, physicians and other clinicians from a variety of disciplines. The ultimate plan is to offer wound care service on a daily basis at every campus.
Successfully opening the West Campus clinic required collaboration between teams and a constant, collective focus on meeting patient needs – even amid the challenges of the pandemic. Patients and families will find a dedicated staff focused on offering a holistic approach to wound management that allows for the best possible care, as well as the latest in wound care products and an embrace of targeted research around new wound care ideas.
Offering assistance with wound treatment and navigating the system for home care and supplies is also a priority, said Shannon McCord, director of Advanced Practice Providers and Nursing Support Services at The Woodlands and West Campus. Having clinics at all three Texas Children’s hospital campuses gives patients access to care across the continuum.
“The goal is to have a standardized, multidisciplinary approach to care to optimize patient outcomes, increase patient access and facilitate care coordination,” McCord said.
Additionally, establishing the West Campus clinic brings Texas Children’s another step closer to earning national distinction as a Pediatric Wound Care Center of Excellence. The certification is awarded to facilities that have demonstrably improved the quality of life for patients with wounds.
“It is a recognition of staff members’ compassion, dedication to optimizing patient outcomes and ongoing efforts to educate not only themselves, but their patients,” said Ryan Krasnosky, director, Surgery Advanced Practice Providers. “The goal is to highlight facilities that have developed a superior wound management program.”
Texas Children’s also stands out for its commitment to evidence-based care, an essential component of our wound care delivery model that remains part of our long-term vision – along with the Center of Excellence designation and becoming an international and national wound care leader.
To that end, McCord partnered with Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) last year to provide wound care education to nurses and providers in Africa. She developed an evidence-based practice policy and procedure for pediatric wound care, and recommended wound care products that they had or could access inexpensively. She presented the information to four countries in the sub-Saharan region.
This May, a multidisciplinary wound care team from Texas Children’s delivered a skills session on wound assessment and care at a virtual workshop hosted by Global HOPE in partnership with health ministries and universities in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda. The workshop was attended by more than 320 nurses and pharmacists from 22 different countries.
Mary Gordon shares an exciting opportunity for clinical staff nurses thanks to a generous gift from Mary Jo Andre and her husband, David, that will support nursing research now and in the future. Read more
June 2, 2021
In collaboration with our community partners, Juanna Brandon introduces us to the SPLASH program that focuses on creating layers of protection to keep children safe while in the water. Read more
May 18, 2021
It’s hard to contain the celebration of nursing to just one week at Texas Children’s – every day there are inspirational stories that demonstrate how our nurses go above and beyond for the patients and families in our care, ensuring the best possible experience and outcomes.
Still, Texas Children’s Nursing Retention Council planned a series of events this month for National Nurses Week 2021 and partnered with our chaplains and Employee Well-Being to offer virtual activities, such as Blessing of the Hands and self-care sessions.
From May 6-12, the council offered a variety of ways for nurses to feel celebrated, recognized and appreciated for their hard work, dedication and resilience. For Show Your Pride Day, nurses wore their favorite t-shirts representing a different theme each day: College Pride Day, Disney Magic Day, Sports Team Day and Texas Children’s/Unit Pride Day. Many nurses also enjoyed the grab-and-go breakfast and late-night ice cream treats, among other activities.
Awards and Recognitions
As part of Nurses Week, Texas Children’s recognized our Houston Chronicle Salute to Nurses honorees, one of whom was honored among Greater Houston’s Top 15 Nurses of the Year. In addition, 44 nurses were named Texas Association of Nurses District 9 Nursing Heroes. To learn more about these recipients, click here.
As a finale for the week, the 2021 Nursing Excellence Award honorees received recognition for their commitment to improving nursing care and patient outcomes. With a traditional in-person event on hold for COVID-19, winners were celebrated at a live virtual ceremony hosted by Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward. To view photos from the ceremony, view below.
Scholarships
Established in memory of Molly Mae, a beloved, former patient at Texas Children’s, the Molly Mae LeBlanc Nursing Scholarship provides tuition assistance to patient care assistants (PCAs) and RNs who are pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in Nursing. Congratulations to our 2021 recipients, who were honored during Nurses Week:
Susan Arriaga is a medical assistant at the Women’s Clinic in The Woodlands. She started at Texas Children’s in 2020. She is enrolled in the Lonestar College BSN program and plans to graduate in May 2025.
Brittany Walters is clinical nurse coordinator for the International and Destination Medicine department. She has worked at Texas Children’s since 2014. She plans to virtually attend the Case Management Society of America’s annual conference this summer.
Trisha Woodson is a staff nurse in the Surgical/Orthopedic acute care unit at the Main campus. She has been with Texas Children’s since 2008. She is enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington MSN program and plans to graduate in June 2023.
As the 2021 recipients of the David and Polly Roth Nursing Education Scholarship, these team members honored during Nurses Week will receive tuition assistance for pursuing professional nursing and BSN degrees. Established by Dr. David Roth and his wife, Polly, the first scholarship was awarded in 2017 and is dedicated to Texas Children’s employees in certain roles, including PCAs and medical assistants.
Crystal Hanna is a patient care assistant in the Float Pool at West Campus. She joined Texas Children’s in 2016. She is enrolled in the Western Governors BSN program and anticipates graduation in 2023.
Chasity Johnson is a patient care assistant in the CVICU at Main Campus, and has been with Texas Children’s since 2015. She is enrolled in the Western Governors BSN program and plans to graduate in 2023.
Emma Robinson is a pharmacy tech at the Main Campus. She joined Texas Children’s in 2016. She is enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington BSN program and is expected to graduate in December 2021.
Texas Children’s also honored this Nurses Week the 2021 recipients of the Len Slusser Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship provides tuition assistance to Texas Children’s registered nurses who are pursuing an advanced nursing degree (Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing), or financial assistance to registered nurses to attend a professional nursing conference.
Sadaf Abbas is a patient care manager at the West Campus PACU and has been with Texas Children’s since 2016. She is enrolled in the Capella University PhD program and plans to graduate in 2024.
Nhi Hoang is a staff nurse in The Woodlands PACU. She joined Texas Children’s in 2017 and plans to virtually attend the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Annual Conference this summer.
To view a photo gallery featuring all of our 2021 nursing scholarship winners, view below.
Nursing Excellence Award ceremony
Nursing scholarship winners
Amanda Wenger shares how a writing workshop experience, and other forms of art, provided her with an outlet for self-expression, stress relief and healing during life’s challenges. Read more
May 7, 2021
This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he reflects on the many roles our remarkable nurses play at Texas Children’s, and how we would not be who we are today without our nursing teams. Read more
