Bridgette Robinson connects and empathizes with every patient she encounters. She understands a child and family’s experience, honors their humanity, and responds with compassionate care that nurtures both body and spirit. A nursing colleague, K. B., describes Bridgette as “…taking time to connect personally by remembering patients’ lives outside the hospital — siblings and significant others, vacations, and school milestones.”

She has a special connection with her Adolescent and Young Adult patients. One young woman, who has endured multiple relapses, has consistently benefited from Bridgette’s skilled and heartfelt nursing care. Bridgette held her hand during the hardest conversations and laughed infectiously during her triumphs. No matter where this patient is on Main Campus, Bridgette makes a point to come say “hello,” connect, listen, and empathize. She believes in the consistency of “showing up” and the healing power of human connection.

As a bedside nurse, she meticulously cultivates relationships with patients and families. Bridgette cares just as deeply about teaching a patient to swallow pills, managing oncological emergencies, and navigating difficult IV access as she does about celebrating a child’s milestones, like learning to ride a bike or graduating from high school. Anyone can see Bridgette’s expert pediatric oncology care in action. She can simultaneously comfort a teenager with a profuse nosebleed while listening with genuine interest to his mother’s stories about prom.

Bridgette says that she feels lucky to be a pediatric oncology nurse... She loves the relationships that she has built with both her patients and their families — it truly is the best part of her job. Bridgette does more than provide nursing care — she provides hope. Her empathy lifts the spirits of those she serves and reminds every family that they are never alone.

Exemplary clinical nursing skills combine the highest standards of nursing practice with expertise grounded in knowledge, precision, and compassion. Clinical Nurse III, J. M., describes Bridgette’s clinical mastery by saying, “She uses her expert-level skills and critical thinking, backed by strong experience in the specialty, to meet each patient where it is needed and is always solutions-oriented.”

An example of Bridgette’s compassionate expertise can be seen in her care for a pre-teen oncology patient living with Medulloblastoma. Until this visit to the PACC Urgent Care, his seizures had been controlled by routine medications. The medical team felt confident that increasing the dosage would prevent further seizures. However, Bridgette recognized the mother’s concerns and advocated for a PRN prescription for rectal diazepam. Utilizing her expert nursing knowledge, she understood that rectal diazepam is effective in stopping seizure activity. She also recognized the patient’s developmental stage and approached the discussion of PR medication with respect and age-appropriate communication, ensuring both he and his mother felt comfortable and informed.  When he unexpectedly seized again, without IV access, Bridgette responded immediately, protecting him, reassuring his mother, and administering the diazepam to quickly stop the seizure. She supported the family emotionally throughout the crisis and later advocated for system improvements to stock PR diazepam in the Omnicell.

Bridgette’s care reflects clinical excellence grounded in compassion, evidence-based knowledge, and human connection. Her confidence and calm leadership make moments of crisis into opportunities for trust and healing. She always strives to make every difficult situation better for her patients and their families. Through her compassionate approach, Bridgette exemplifies how nursing is not only a science, it is an artform.

Bridgette Robinson plays a vital role in fostering a healthy work environment within the Pediatric Ambulatory Care Center (PACC). She recognizes that collaboration, respect, and clear communication form the foundation of safe, high-quality care for children and families facing complex journeys. Bridgette actively supports her colleagues by sharing her expertise, mentoring newer nurses, and encouraging teamwork during both routine care and high-stress situations.

Bridgette demonstrated her leadership and expertise during the rollout of Epic, providing guidance not only to clinical nurses but also to the leadership team. She offered valuable insight and practical solutions to align existing workflows with the new Epic system. Her deep understanding of quality nursing care, combined with her knowledge of efficient processes, made her an integral part of the team that built Epic.

At the bedside, her kindness and approachability enabled her to build trusting relationships with both senior staff and newer nurses. In one instance, a colleague had been working with a 10-year-old girl with a lymphoproliferative disorder following a solid organ transplant. After nearly an hour and a half of trying to convince the patient to allow port access, Bridgette stepped in. She recognized that the nurse needed to regroup and provided mentorship and emotional support. Bridgette encouraged the nurse to let her engage with the patient and, in doing so, empowered both the nurse and the child. Although the port access was not completed that day, a plan for next time was developed, and the nurse left feeling confident, supported, and valued.

Bridgette’s calm presence, empathy, and professionalism create a culture of trust where every team member feels respected and empowered. Through her leadership and professionalism, she strengthens not only patient outcomes but also the collective resilience of the PACC. Bridgette recognizes that there is a cumulative power in our collaborative strength.