“To The Nurse Who Saved Jimmy Kimmel’s Baby,” A Letter From A Fellow Nurse.

A parent’s fame does not change the way a child enters the world or the range of emotions the family experiences directly after the baby’s birth. For Jimmy Kimmel, this couldn’t be more true.

While joy and relief are common responses, anxieties and questions also arise. Often, nervous tendencies come with regard to caring for the child properly and its overall health.

YouTube

With 21st century technology, many families are made aware of physical or mental challenges a child is likely to face prior to the actual birth.

However, not everything gets caught, and sometimes it’s not until after all the initial excitement that someone realizes something is wrong.

YouTube

Kimmel knows what that’s like firsthand and has publicly expressed his gratitude for the nurse at Cedars-Sinai who identified his newborn son’s life-condition. When little William turned blue, the nurse recognized he had a heart murmur and rushed him to NICU, saving his life.

YouTube

In a blog by USSI Nurses, writer and nurse Kelley Johnson suggests that people shouldn’t be so surprised by the actions William’s nurse took that day. However, it’s not for lack of appreciation that this is suggested. Check out Johnson’s powerful words below.

It was a nurse at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles that saved Jimmy Kimmel’s newborn son. This nurse saved this little boy’s life by detecting his murmur, recognizing that he was blue, and ensuring he was brought to the NICU for life saving measures.

Here’s the part that I find most surprising: most people find this surprising.

“Wow! It was the nurse! How extraordinary!”…almost as if this was a fluke. But to the nursing community, this is normal. This is expected. This is our job description.

I am not bringing this up to downplay the heroic acts of all the nurses that assisted in saving little William’s life that day. I believe they are angels who were meant to be there for this little guy, and their expertise is respected. I am bringing this up to educate the public about what nurses do, because let’s face it, they do not know.

Most people believe nurses are assistants that can get you food, help you go to the bathroom, check your vitals, and follow a Doctor’s orders. It is true, those are things that we can do, but scientifically and medically our scope of practice is so much wider than that. There are too many ways to count that nurses save lives every single day through their assessments and expertise, but Jimmy Kimmel’s nurse did an amazing job in bringing one of them to the forefront.

Today

I will not be surprised by what this nurse did, because that would be an insult to her skill.

This kind of nursing happens ALL THE TIME, people. ALL THE TIME. Nurses are incredible. My point is this: this was not a fluke, not a one time “good catchâ€, this was a nurse doing her job in recognizing a life-threatening condition in one of her patients and doing something about it.  Yes, she deserves endless support and recognition because she saved a life, and I would be willing to bet this was not the first time. However, it is time we stopped being surprised by quality nursing care like this, but rather, start remembering that it is the foundation of the entire profession.

FollowNews

Quality nursing care is most often the norm and it deserves appreciation every single day. Nurses are highly intelligent healthcare professionals that are essential to safe and effective patient care. Hopefully, with more people expecting this kind of care, nursing can receive the acknowledgement and thanks it has earned.

Thank you, Jimmy Kimmel, for giving this specific superstar nurse the pat on the back she deserves for moments like this one. It won’t be her last.

Share if you appreciate a nurse in your life!