Charla Eggleston, BSN, RN

Charla went above and beyond her required duties as a nurse for a patient of hers last week. This experience stuck with me for over a week, and I am finally finding the time to sit down and write this.

This patient has been with us for over 14 months since his birth and currently resides as a ventilator-dependent patient in our PICU. This child has only seen the outdoors one other time in his life, and Charla made it a priority to get him outside as we were experiencing uniquely beautiful weather on this particular day.

Despite being the primary nurse for this patient and another very time-demanding patient, she made it a priority to give this particular patient an opportunity to get fresh air and see the sky. When her other patient was taken to MRI, she knew she had only an hour or less to get him outside.

She rushed downstairs to the gift shop to buy him a new outfit for the Fourth of July with money out of her own pocket because it was the only one that came with sunglasses, an item he very much needed to protect his little eyes. She threw him into his brand new outfit, which fit perfectly, got him in his stroller, and rallied the rest of the care team to get him some much-needed fresh air.

She reported he was initially anxious being away from the comfort of his own room, but quickly settled into the new environment and fell fast asleep for the remainder of the adventure.

This experience benefitted the patient in ways that lab work or a monitor could never convey. He was shown love and compassion that extended well beyond the bedside. She could’ve used this hour to take a lunch break or sit and catch up on charting, but instead she chose to give this patient an experience he may not get again for some time.

It is one thing to consistently do what is asked of you, but her unique heart-centered approach to patient care is what sets Charla apart. Charla is an extraordinary member of the PICU team and is more than deserving of this recognition.