“As a child, I always knew I wanted to work with pediatric patients,” said Maya Vaughan, one of our wonderful operating room nurses. “You can be silly with them, which helps to make them healthy.”
Maya, who recently completed studies to become a family nurse practitioner, said having fun and being silly helps kids relax when they’re nervous about procedures. She recalled one patient who was a Star Wars fan. When Maya compared the anesthesia mask to Darth Vader’s mask, his fears about going into the operating room disappeared. She said helping kids in this way is the best part of her job.
“When you’re helping kids, you’re also helping their parents because you are there to make them feel comfortable when you have their child in your care,” said Maya. “The best thing you can do for parents is to be their advocate.”
While some parents are nervous about their children going to the operating room, others have a lot of questions. Throughout surgery, Maya regularly communicates with families and reminds them to eat, rest and take care of themselves so they can care for their child at home.
“My job as a nurse is to be patient with parents and provide reassurance,” said Maya, a mom of two. “I let them know I’ve been in their shoes before. I’ve had kids who have had surgeries, and I understand.”
When the Children’s Tower opens, Maya said she’s excited about all services being under one roof in an environment dedicated to kids and staffed by team members who love working with children. By making kids comfortable, Maya believes their experience and their outcomes will be better.
“CHoR is a great place for children,” said Maya. “No matter what time or day it is, there’s always going to be a specialist to take care of your child.”
Our surgical suite includes five general operating rooms as well as a larger specialty operating room for higher acuity needs and several procedure rooms for quicker, less intensive operations. An advanced robotics program allows for minimally invasive techniques that provide the highest level of care and quickest recovery time possible.