Chris Scheer is one of the most dedicated, caring, & talented pediatric nurses I have ever worked with.  She has been an important member of the team in all units she has worked in at DCMC.  Clinically, she is one of the best IV starters we have ever had in our hospital. Chris is so caring to all of her patients.  She is a team player and has always been a leader to her peers, formally & informally. And she has trained and taught so many nurses who continue to work at DCMC & Ascension to this day.  

Clinical practice: Chris has been a nurse for over 40 years and most of her experience has been in Pediatrics. She started at Dell Children's in 1996 when it was known as the Children's Hospital of Austin. One of the first things she became very proficient at was starting IVs.  During that time, IV caths were metal, not plastic! And there was no special equipment to help visualize - she used a transilluminator light that was used normally to visualize fluid collections in the infant head. When she joined the team at CHOA they were housed in the far side of the adult hospital at Brackenridge. One of her first roles was being the "Admit Team" nurse. It was a pilot to help with all the direct admits that the hospital had. She did the admission assessment, started the IV, antibiotics and then transferred the children to the unit they were assigned. The "team" consisted of me and a clinical assistant. She soon took on a unit nurse job in the respiratory/cardiac unit (aka Purple unit). She felt that the hospital looked very "institutional" in its appearance, so she took it upon herself to decorate the treatment room by first starting with the treatment table. She used a beautiful kid-friendly material and covered the table with the material and a clear plastic overlay. It was so fun and refreshing. After completing the treatment room cheer-up, she decided to brighten up the very small lounge and painted a palm tree on the wall as well as added a beach-themed trim of wall paper around the top of the room. It was amazing for the team and other units soon followed that trend to make their unit treatment rooms and lounges bright and friendly. I was on the Blue unit at the time and remember when we decided to "copy" the work she had done.  

Role model & leader: Chris has been a PALS instructor, CPR instructor and has held her CCRN. Currently she has her CPN certification. She was part of the Magnet Team that led us to our first Magnet Designation while we were still at CHOA. Another project that she worked on was with the Clinical Ladder Portfolios. In fact, she transformed so much related to the Clinical Ladder during that time, which is still used today.  She worked on that committee for over 15 years. Some of the work she initiated for our CHOA nurses was to standardize the portfolios. In her unit, she created binders for everyone with a cover form and sectioned tabs. Many other areas followed suit and she also was part of the beginnings of changing the program to a paperless one. Currently, Chris is a founding member of our Infusion Center where patients come into the hospital for infusions, labs, & monitoring.  She helped institute the growth and change for this program and has continued to be a key member of this team. This role culminates all of her best talents into one special population. She has been a preceptor and mentor to so many nurses throughout the years and continues to do that for our other infusion nurses, and always is willing to help.  

Advocacy in practice: Chris has always been and continues to be such a strong advocate for her patients and just truly cares about each patient.  Another project Chris had started was the children's clothes closet. Many of the children that she has treated over the years would come and have no change of clothes to wear home, no socks, onesie, etc.  She started a little area on her unit for the socks and onesies, and it soon expanded to a cabinet that was stocked with clothes for all ages. Soon, with the help of her leader, a grant was obtained to help keep this "clothes closet" stocked. In her current position in the Outpatient Infusion center, she brings in special items for her infusion patients to make their stay there more comfortable. The rapport and fun I observe between her and her patients is so refreshing. Chris advocates for things the unit needs from improving patient experience to equipment supplies. Chris is someone that I've personally looked up to and was always in awe of because of her nursing and leadership talents. Chris has continued for so many years in this calling to caring for others and has made a difference in the lives of patients and nurses over the years. As Chris heads towards the end of her career, it is important to note that she is someone who has such a great and positive impact on patients, families, and other nurses in our community.  She is still so dedicated, skilled, and compassionate after 40+ years of nursing.  For all of these reasons and so many more, Chris deserves to be recognized as the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Nurse of 2025!