National Burn Awareness Week and Specialized Work of Burn Nurses

National Burn Awareness Week and Specialized Work of Burn Nurses

February 4th to 10th is National Burn Awareness Week , and Daily Nurse is recognizing the specialized work of burn nurses. Burn nurses are known for their exceptional skills, commitment, and unwavering dedication to patient care. They work tirelessly to treat individuals who have been affected by burn injuries and to advocate for burn injury prevention within their communities.

Meet Emily Werthman, PhD (c), MSN, RN, CBRN, the Burn Program Manager at The Johns Hopkins Burn Center. She is also a member of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) board of directors for the 2024-2025 term and shares her insights on burn nursing as a specialized nursing practice.

-What are your title and credentials at The Johns Hopkins Burn Center?

Burn Program Manager

PhD (c), MSN, RN, CBRN

-How long have you worked there?

13 years

-What do you enjoy most about your role as burn program manager?

I love the detective aspect of my job: finding a problem, discovering its root cause, and then developing a plan to fix it. I also work with an amazing interdisciplinary team that makes it exciting to come to work every day.

-Talk about how you ascended to that role.

I started as a BICU nurse and loved our burn program’s research and quality aspects. I knew that burn nursing was where I wanted to practice, but I also wanted to further my career options by pursuing an advanced degree. After about 10 years at the bedside, the burn program manager position became available while I was obtaining my MSN in nursing education. I was so happy to be able to combine my love of research, quality, and bedside burn nursing knowledge into this role. I am also incredibly fortunate to work for a health system that encourages and supports its nurses’ continuing education so I can continue with my PhD.

-What inspired you to become a burn nurse?

My mother died in a house fire shortly after my college graduation. Knowing that her nurses were with her, providing the best possible care, inspired me to do the same for all the families and patients we care for here at the Johns Hopkins Burn Center.

What associations are you a member of, and how have they helped your career?

I am an American Burn Association (ABA) member, serving as the lead nurse planner. I volunteer with the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), serving as a CBRN Exam Construction Review Committee member, and have just been appointed to BCEN’s board of directors.

These roles have allowed me to work outside of my hospital system to impact the work of burn nurses nationally and internationally. My work with the ABA has allowed me to progress from member to committee member to lead nurse planner. Similarly, at BCEN, I started as an item writer and have continued to work within the organization to support its mission. Both organizations have provided opportunities for professional growth through networking and continuing education.

-What does a burn nurse do?

There is not a typical day in burn. We see patients at their worst on the first day they are injured, their best on the day they are discharged, and everything in between. Burn is unique because we know our patients and their families through one-on-one interactions during daily wound care sessions. A shift in the BICU or BWU will usually involve all your standard nursing interventions but with a healthy dose of specialized wound care, wound vac placement, dressing takedowns, and lots of psychosocial support for our patients and their families.

Burn nurses are more than trauma care. Can you talk about the other types of care they provide patients?

Burn nurses genuinely care for the patient across the entire continuum from admission to discharge and then reconstruction procedures in the years following an injury. In addition to critical care, they provide outstanding psychosocial support to families and patients. Many burn nurses participate in prevention activities like outreach at local schools and partnerships with local firefighters.

-How do you become a burn nurse?

After graduating with a history degree, I returned to school to get my AS in nursing, eventually earning a BSN and MSN. I am currently preparing to defend my PhD dissertation, as well. I knew when I entered nursing school that burn nursing was my calling. I contacted the burn center for my senior honors project to arrange a guest lecture at my nursing school. I kept in touch with them after graduation so that they were aware of my interest in the burn center and to let them know when I applied for an open position there.

Talk about the need for burn nursing and BCEN specialty certification.

I seek to effect change in the field of burn nursing as a subject matter expert, test question writer, and exam content review committee member for the CBRN exam. Specialty certification is an essential part of recognizing burn nurses’ unique work. As more hospitals move toward Magnet certification, standing with other certified nurses offers burn nurses the ability to demonstrate our commitment to quality care.

-What are the benefits of being a burn nurse? 

Burn nursing is a challenging field. But it is just as rewarding as it is difficult. We see patients progress through their recovery, and through our work with the Burn Therapy Program, we continue to see them for years as they return to their lives.

Talk about the reward of being a burn nurse.

The payoff is the outcome. When we see a patient with substantial burn injuries overcome their injuries and go on to live happy, successful lives, it makes all the long, hot days in a tub room worth it.

Talk about being 1 of 12 expert nurses selected by BCEN to serve on the Burn Nursing Role Delineation Study Advisory Committee.

No other specialty provides you with a level of interaction with patients and their families, all while providing life-saving critical care. The burn nurse is truly the best representation of a holistic nurse that I know—integrating critical care with psychosocial care, wound care, focused systems assessments/interventions, and all that comes with the care of surgical patients. Being selected to help define what a burn nurse does was an honor. And to be able to work with some of my role models in burn care (Gretchen Carrougher and Katie Hollowed, in particular) was so exciting. To think that we could work together with burn experts from all over the country to help on our path to certification was life-changing.

How does the committee’s work serve as a roadmap for nurses who sit for the CBRN exam?

In our work, we helped define what the burn nurse does, which helped define the parameters of the CBRN exam.

-Do you have anything else to add for Burn Awareness Week?

This year’s theme is preventing flammable liquid injuries, so I encourage people to check out the resources available at ameriburn.org to ensure they are following all appropriate safety measures!

A Day in the Life: Psychiatric Nurse

A Day in the Life: Psychiatric Nurse

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work with psychiatric patients?

Surely, it’s not like many movies and television shows have portrayed. Not even close.

To get more information about becoming a psychiatric nurse , we interviewed Jessica Martinez, RN, a Behavioral Health Registered Nurse working on CareRev’s platform at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey.

What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

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Jessica Martinez, RN, is a Behavioral Health Registered Nurse at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey

How did you get interested in working as a psychiatric nurse? What drew you to it? How long have you been doing it?

My mentor from nursing school was a psychiatric nurse instructor, and she told me she thought I should try it. She helped me get my first job. 

I fell in love with it after working as a psychiatric nurse. That was in 2019, and I still really love this area of medicine.

Briefly explain what you do as a psychiatric nurse. What types of patients do you serve—what ages and how are they approved to be in the program? What do you provide for them? 

As a psychiatric nurse, I assist patients from ages five to 105 with a mental health diagnosis who have been admitted to the hospital.

I ensure patients and staff stay safe, and a big part of the job is administering medications so patients can return to their daily lives. I work with patients to help reduce the stigma of their mental health challenges and help them understand it is a chronic condition that can be treated.

Some of my patients–once they start their medication and begin to feel better–think they don’t need their meds anymore. As a result, I work with patients in a group therapy setting to help them understand they have a diagnosis and that the best way to deal with it is to follow the doctor’s orders.

Did you need to get additional education to become a psychiatric nurse? 

I earned an associate degree in 2018 and a bachelor’s degree in 2022, and I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree.

You can do this job with an associate degree, but a bachelor’s is preferred.

What do you like most about working in your job? 

My favorite part is seeing patients get better and feel more like themselves. I work with patients to help them develop new routines for improved health and wellness. When a patient is ready to go home, that is the best feeling in the world.

I work in the hospital through CareRev, a technology platform that allows me to maintain my schedule based on what is going on in my life. I can build my work schedule around my life, not the other way around. This has helped balance my work and personal lives, pays well enough for me to travel, and allows me time to schedule a break when needed.

What are your biggest challenges? 

Sometimes, patients are frustrated, but we work hard to ensure everyone navigates to a healthy outcome.

What are your greatest rewards in your work? 

The biggest reward is working directly with patients and knowing that every day is different. I’m constantly learning and growing in my role.

Is there anything else that is important for our readers to know?

Nursing has changed a lot. I work through CareRev’s platform, where I work side-by-side with hospital professionals daily. However, I have the flexibility to control my schedule so I can pursue further education, accommodate my family’s needs, and pick up shifts close to home. 

We need more nurses going into psychiatry. It’s a field that has changed so much, and so has society’s understanding of mental health challenges.

These patients need compassionate healthcare professionals now more than ever.

A Day in the Life: Cardiac Nurse

A Day in the Life: Cardiac Nurse

The heart is a crucial part of our life and our world. There are songs about it, movies that focus on it—at least the love part, and without it, unlike other organs, we wouldn’t be able to survive.

So, what’s it like to be a nurse focusing on patient care with the heart?

We interviewed Caitlin Fetner RN, BSN, Cardiac nurse, University of Maryland Capital Region Health . (She’s also a proud military wife. Her husband is an officer in the U.S. Navy.)

What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

a-day-in-the-life-cardiac-nurse

Caitlin Fetner RN, BSN, is a cardiac nurse at the University of Maryland Capital Region Health

How did you get interested in being a cardiac nurse? What drew you to it? How long have you been doing it?

I got interested in cardiology when I was still in nursing school. I studied at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing. Of all the different topics I studied in school, cardiology was my favorite.

I got a job after graduation in a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and haven’t looked back since. It was there that I learned more in-depth about cardiology, including cardiac catheterization, atrial fibrillation, post-cardiac arrest, and open-heart surgery.

I started on the night shift, and on slow nights, we would all sit with our notebooks and study hemodynamics and how to manage cardiac patients, specifically bypass patients. I have been a nurse for seven years and have loved every minute. I currently work with open-heart surgery patients.

A cardiac nurse takes care of your heart. We make sure your heart has everything it needs to function appropriately. If it is not functioning as it should, we step in with different therapies to help it get back to where it needs to be. We serve patients whose hearts beat in irregular rhythms to patients who need open heart surgery—and everything in between. We provide medications that help keep the heart in rhythm; we provide teaching and education so when patients go home, they know what to do, and we provide strength and encouragement to help patients get out of bed and walk those days after surgery.

Did you need to get additional education for this position? 

A BSN is the only educational requirement for this position, but there are different certifications you can get as a cardiac nurse, such as a CCRN and Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification. This certification requires a test that goes into more detail on how to care for ICU-level patients. After passing this exam, you could get a specific cardiac certification as well.

What do you like most about working as a cardiac nurse? 

What I like most is the delicate balance we manage between the patient’s vital signs and the medications being given. Whether it is medications running as drips or giving oral medications, the nurse must always be aware of what’s happening and how to change the medications accordingly. The heart and its’ function are a beautiful balance, and I love the challenge of managing it all.

What are your biggest challenges as a cardiac nurse? 

The biggest challenge is managing every detail—but it’s also what I love most. You must dot every I and cross every T and be on your toes all shift, but it’s worth it.

What are your greatest rewards as one? 

My greatest rewards are getting the patients up to walk after surgery who thought they couldn’t do it or seeing the patients who have been down long roads and hospital stays finally get to go home. Also, I love talking to and getting to know my patients.

Every patient has a story, and everyone can learn something from everyone. You never know the things you can learn just by talking to someone.

Anything else that is important for our readers to know?

Cardiac nursing is not for the faint of heart. Cardiac nursing is checking vitals for the slightest changes every minute, measuring EKG strips every few hours, and managing multiple drips that, if they were to run out, the patient’s blood pressure could drop quickly.

The heart function, blood pressure, and volume status are all delicate balances that must be monitored closely. Cardiac nursing is busy and sometimes exhausting, but ever so worth it at the end of the day to see the sickest patients go home to their families once more. That’s what nursing is all about.

A Day in the Life: Pediatric Kidney Transplant Manager

A Day in the Life: Pediatric Kidney Transplant Manager

Working in transplant programs can be challenging as life can move quite slowly for waiting patients and then suddenly speed up when an organ becomes available.

But have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in pediatric transplants?

We interviewed Gerri James, RN, BSN, CCTC (Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator), manager of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health , and she told us all about what her job entails.

What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity. 

a-day-in-the-life-pediatric-kidney-transplant-manager

Gerri James, RN, BSN, CCTC, manager of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health

How did you get interested in working with the pediatric kidney transplant program? 

I started my nursing career on a surgical floor at a large academic program on the East Coast. We cared for patients waiting for organ transplants (liver and kidney) and those who had received transplants. Once I cared for these patients, I was hooked.  

What drew you to it? 

Transplantation is a fascinating and rewarding field! Witnessing the patients receive a second chance at life was–and still is–amazing. Transplantation is a miracle that, unfortunately, not every patient experiences.

How long have you been doing it? 

 I’ve been involved in transplants for approximately 35 years.

Please explain what you do as the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Manager. What types of patients do you serve—what ages and how are they approved to be in the program? 

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has one of the country’s biggest and busiest pediatric kidney transplant programs. We care for patients from birth to up to age 18. For the newborns, we follow them closely until they are appropriate for a transplant evaluation. 

What do you provide for them? 

At the time of the referral to our Kidney Transplant Program, we reached out to the family to introduce ourselves and explain what to expect. We are meeting them at a very vulnerable and terrifying time of their lives. A big part of the conversation is deceased donor vs. living donor options.

We walk them through the evaluation process, the wait for a transplant, the transplant event, and their post-transplant life. My team also collaborates with many other disciplines to assist with travel and lodging, consults with other services, etc.–all in hopes of making the experience as easy as possible.

As the Transplant Manager, I wear many different hats. Transplantation is highly regulated and has many rules, and part of my job is to ensure we keep up with changes. I manage a large pre- and post-transplant team and participate in various meetings throughout the day. My role is unique as I have a full patient assignment (recipients and potential living kidney donors) and my manager’s responsibilities. My first love is patient care; I wouldn’t want to give it up!

Did you need to get additional education for this position? 

I had on-the-job training right out of nursing school. I was lucky enough to work at a world-renowned transplant center. Attending conferences is also imperative to keeping up-to-date on the latest in transplantation, an ever-evolving field. I learned and continue to learn from the very best every day!

What do you like most about working in your job? 

Every day is different, and there is always something to learn. I have the honor of helping parents/guardians navigate an unfamiliar world. Often, when they hear that their child needs a kidney transplant, they are devastated. I try to make this new journey a little less terrifying. Providing education and letting them know they are never alone is a big part of what I do.

What are your biggest challenges as the transplant manager? 

Time—there never seems to be enough of it. Another challenge is the lack of organ donors that are allocated to pediatric patients. Not every donor is appropriate for every child.

Many nurses might think this would be a tough job–how do you get through that? 

This is a tough job. It’s always hard to watch a child with a chronic illness. But, luckily in kidney transplants, most of the children do well and go on to enjoy a life free of dialysis.

However, most children will go on to need a second and maybe a third kidney transplant in their lifetime. We help prepare the families for future transplants while planning the first. 

What are your greatest rewards in your work? 

Watching a child not expected to survive, walk, or thrive running down the clinic hallway to hug me is incredible. Getting a graduation announcement or any big event following a transplant. Hearing how the family celebrates not needing dialysis, going on vacations, and living their best lives. I’m always so proud of these children and all of their accomplishments!

Anything else to add?

No one ever wants their child/loved one to need a transplant. I am blessed to be able to guide them through the process and take some of the stress away. I often tell the families, “Let me worry about that part. You have enough on your plate.”

Meeting the family where they are in the process is critical to a successful and trusting relationship. Educating them as to what to expect and being honest that the journey will have some bumps in the road is key.

Transplantation is a miracle and life-changing for those fortunate enough to receive an organ, as not everyone gets this opportunity due to the shortage of organs. Transplantation is a fascinating and rewarding field that significantly impacts patients’ and their families’ lives. Sign up to be an organ donor—it’s the greatest gift you’ll ever give!

A Day in the Life: Gastroenterology Nurse

A Day in the Life: Gastroenterology Nurse

Do you have the guts to be a gastroenterology nurse?

All joking aside, this facet of the field is often overlooked because it may not be as exciting as, for example, working in an ED. But it truly helps to save lives.

Daily Nurse interviewed Alicia Carter, RN, BSN, BS, MHA, an endoscopy nurse at the University of Maryland Capital Region Health, about what it’s like to work as a gastroenterology nurse. What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

How did you get interested in being a gastroenterology nurse? What drew you to it? How long have you been doing it?

I have always been interested in becoming a circulating nurse, and when I moved from out of state and began a job search in the area, I came upon the posting for my current position. After much research, I applied and waited impatiently to hear back. I was excited to train and learn as much as possible when I was hired.

Since it is not a “popular” sector of nursing, like ICU, ED, or OR, I was drawn in by knowing that I was entering into a specialty with more specific missions in each procedure than I had previously known.

I have been a gastroenterology nurse for two years.

Did you need to get additional education for this position? 

Outside of nursing school, I did not get additional education for this position; however, it may not be best suited for a new grad nurse.

What do you like most about working as a gastroenterology nurse? 

What I like the most about working as a gastroenterology nurse is that it’s fast-paced, for the most part. I like being on the move; working in Endoscopy gives me exactly that.

We get patients who are just coming in for a routine screening colonoscopy, and we get patients who are getting scoped because we are trying to find out if their cancer has spread, so we are getting the full spectrum of acuity in our patients.

Our advanced cases are much slower than EGDs or Colonoscopies, but as a whole, the day moves steadily when our schedule is full.

What are your biggest challenges as a gastroenterology nurse? 

The biggest challenge that I have found as a gastroenterology nurse is trying to please everyone all at once—including the patient, the proceduralist, the anesthesia, your manager, and your techs.

Because many wheels are turning simultaneously, you can do your best to try to make sure that they all stop and arrive at the same point at the same time, but that doesn’t always happen, no matter how hard you try.

What are your greatest rewards as one? 

My greatest reward as a gastroenterology nurse is that you are an integral part of someone’s journey to either fixing a problem or diagnosing a problem.

In addition to your position requirements, you are there to hold hands with a patient before they go in the room, you are there to give them comfort before them being sedated, and you are there as one of the first faces they see after they wake up.

Knowing that I am the person that the patient looks for to make sure that everything goes smoothly with their procedure and care is heartwarming, and when the patient wakes up and thanks me for being there for them, it makes my day.

Is there anything else that is important for our readers to know? 

It is important to note that no one size fits all for GI nurses. Depending on your facility, there will be different responsibilities for a GI nurse—whether it is an outpatient or inpatient facility. Either way, the work can be very rewarding, and even though it is not a specialty that many know a lot about, it is worth checking out for yourself to see if it fits.

A Day in the Life: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

A Day in the Life: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

For this edition of A Day in the Life, we interviewed a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) to profile what these nurses do so you can decide if it’s a specialty for you.

Keesha Duncan, DNP, CRNA, is the northeast regional director of advanced practice providers at Envision Healthcare , a chief anesthetist at Hackensack University Medical Center, and she co-authored chapter (7) in “Scholarly Inquiry and the DNP Capstone” written by Cheryl Holly.

Duncan answers our questions about working as a CRNA. What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

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Keesha Duncan, DNP, CRNA, is the northeast regional director of advanced practice providers at Envision Healthcare, a chief anesthetist at Hackensack University Medical Center

How did you get interested in being a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)? What drew you to it? How long have you been doing it?

I worked as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse (CTICU RN) at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York for almost six years. I soon realized I wanted to venture into advanced practice nursing.

The question at that time was, “What specialty?” I decided on anesthesia, much accredited to my mentor, Michael Greco, Ph.D., DNP, CRNA, who encouraged me to shadow a certified registered nurse anesthetist. I did, and I was utterly fascinated by the skill and dexterity displayed by the CRNA.

I quickly knew that this specialty was my calling. Therefore, I began to embark on the journey that led me to where I am today. I’ve been practicing as CRNA for close to 16 years.

Explain briefly what a CRNA does. What types of patients do you serve? What do you provide for them?  

CRNAs are advanced specialized nurses trained to provide anesthesia during a procedure or surgery. Some have additional training in pain management and perform functions that treat chronic pain.

I serve the adult, pediatric, and obstetric populations in my career and am proficient in placing labor epidurals and spinal anesthesia for C-sections. Furthermore, I administer general anesthesia or moderate to deep sedation when needed and perform or participate in peripheral nerve blocks.

Did you need to get additional education for this position? 

I needed additional education to transition from an ICU RN to a CRNA. I was a diploma RN, so I had to go back and obtain my BSN to apply to CRNA school while working full-time and being a single parent.

I received my MSN with a concentration in anesthesia when I graduated from CRNA school in 2007. I also graduated with my doctorate in nursing practice in 2012.

What do you like most about working as a CRNA? 

When I decided to go into anesthesia, I feared losing the special time I had talking and getting to know my patients. But as a CRNA, you don’t lose that bond. The reward you feel when you care for patients during their most vulnerable and scariest times still exists.

Interested in getting a job s a CRNA? Then check out the Daily Nurse Career Center to begin building your nursing career.