The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital is now Bethany Children’s Health Center.
Celebrating National Nurses Day and Week, and the many ways nurses support our mission.
“While nurses play an integral part in promoting health, recovery and rehabilitation, finding quality of life, at the heart of life as it happens, is the beauty of what nurses do here.” – Amber McKinzie
At the core of our mission at The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital lies the belief that life is sacred, an inherent gift from a loving Creator. The nursing professionals at the hospital know that a patient is not simply defined by their illness or diagnosis, but should be treated with a more comprehensive approach. Chief Nursing Officer, Amber McKinzie, explains, “Our holistic nursing practice takes into account the patient’s body, mind, spirit, culture and environment and removes the barriers from clinical practice.” In addition, the nursing staff strives to create the same type of healing environment for caregivers.
What type of person does it take to achieve those goals? Amber says the nursing staff at the hospital are compassionate, caring and empathetic, always promoting patients’ dignity. They also share traits of trustworthiness, accountability, humility and integrity. They embrace curiosity and innovation. “The culture of this department is, in a word, intangible,” she states. “The care they take with our patients is unmatched.”
The extensive nursing staff at The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital isn’t just involved in direct patient care. Across the continuum of care at the hospital nurses work as case managers, Nurse Navigators (patient care coordinators), nurse educators, and referral liaisons. Nurses are filling essential roles in hospital leadership, human relations, research, infection control and nursing informatics.
The nursing department includes a wide range of nursing professionals, from nursing assistants to nurse techs, RNs, LPNs and Certified Nurses, many with decades of experience. Juliet Melakayil, CNA, has worked at the hospital for 38 years, while dedicated nurses Cheryl Ammons, Marilyn Cox, and Tami McMichael bring a combined 84 years of experience. Glenda Hennick, Nursing Admin, has been keeping the department on track for 24 years.
Amber herself came to the hospital ten years ago for a clinical rotation and her heart and soul were moved to find her place here and make a difference. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work in almost every facet of the hospital, which has challenged her and broadened her perspective along the way. She feels that the biggest impact she can have on the hospital’s mission is to not only support the journeys of patients and families, but those of the nursing staff as well. “Healthcare is dynamic and ever-changing. The one thing we can count on is that it could be different tomorrow,” she says. “I am blessed beyond belief to be able to walk this road with such amazing co-workers and patients.”
National Nurses Day showcases the many roles that nurses play in a patient’s health-care journey. This year’s theme of #WeAnswerTheCall represents the ways in which the pandemic brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses work under every day and showed the important role that nurses play in the community.
Thank you for all you do and for your commitment to The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, your co-workers, patients, their families and our community!
TCCRH by the Numbers:
104 staff RNs
73 LPNs
25 Nurse Techs
89 CNA/AUA/NA s
6 Nurse Managers, 1 Director of Nursing, 1 Chief Nursing Officer
33 Nurses in other hospital positions
29 Certified Nurses
Nurses at TCCRH pass an average of 2846 meds each day – a total of 738,000 In 2020.
This year we have seen over 200 admissions and discharged almost 200 patients.
We’re hiring! Explore nursing opportunities on our Careers page.