Amber Parker
November 2020
Amber
Parker
,
RN
12W Pediatric Medical Surgical Unit
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

 

 

 

Amber was compassionate to us, but also unflappable and sharply observant of any and all changes in my daughter's medical condition.
Nurse Amber Parker treated my daughter like one of her own children and went above and beyond each time she cared for her during our stay. The first evening we were here on 12W, she welcomed us as if we were staying in her own home. We found her to be extremely attentive, but gentle and kind to my daughter. She takes extra care to make sure that medications are provided in a gentle manner, by doing things like pushing syringes slowly and diluting the medications that may cause a patient to experience a burning sensation through their IV. Amber also has a great sense of humor and puts the families at east with humor about her own children.
She helped me decompress after the emotional rollercoaster that comes with long surgeries and shared her own medical journey with her daughter. She was compassionate to us, but also unflappable and sharply observant of any and all changes in my daughter's medical condition. Amber was able to work swiftly, accurately, and gracefully with us throughout the first couple of critical days immediately following surgery, and then in the less critical but uncomfortable days that followed my daughter's recovery.
She is the only nurse who offered to wash my daughter's hair with real shampoo and water in the bed, even though it was messy. My daughter could truly feel clean after 10 days of regular vomiting and just sponge bath clean-ups. Following the hair washing, Amber wrapped my daughter in warm blankets as we got her dressed. She always made sure we had everything we needed (supplies, refreshments, etc.) and also told me to go and get some rest because she had my daughter "covered". Some nurses might say that, but I would not have believed them. However, with Amber, I believed it due to the kindness and skilled care that I had already witnessed and was able to get some much-needed rest. As a fellow special needs parent, Amber understands how tiring it can be to care for our children, and it was so nice to have her give me a little break for sleep.
On Amber's shifts, I knew my daughter would never be in pain, and that all of her needs would be addressed. Nurses such as Amber are a rare find in the healthcare world, and I believe she is such a treasure to this hospital.