One on One with Saba on the Pediatric Oncology Unit

Tell us a little bit about what you do — what kind of setting you’re in, what your patient population looks like, what your duties consist of, etc.

I’m currently a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Transplant (HOCU) nurse at Children’s National in Washington, DC. I started working at Children’s about 6 months ago. Previously, I worked at the NIH in Bethesda, MD for a little over a year on the Adult Heme/Onc/Transplant unit.

Working at a pediatric hospital instead of on a pediatric unit within an adult hospital is unique because the entire hospital is centered around kids. You’re consumed by all things childlike, from the hot-air balloons hanging from the ceiling in the atrium; to the hustle and bustle around the holidays to make it as special as possible for the kids who can’t go home; to Dr. Bear, our mascot who greets the families that walk through the doors.

I work on a 32 bed unit consisting of 26 heme/onc beds and 6 dedicated transplant rooms. Our unit is often completely full or awaiting scheduled admissions from the oncology clinic, or, of course, unplanned admissions from the Emergency Department. The patient population ranges from infants to early twenty-somethings. Our disease range is vast, but most often includes sickle cell, leukemias and lymphomas, neuroblastomas and medulloblastomas, and genetic disorders.

All of our patients have central lines that allow for easy administration of their IV medications, including chemotherapy. That being said, central lines are a huge infection risk; thus, we’re always on high alert for signs of sepsis.

A typical assignment consists of 3 heme/onc patients or 2 transplant patients. The HOCU is a busy unit. We pass meds, take vitals, track intake and output, manage symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased fatigue, lack of appetite, pain), administer chemo and more — all while balancing the bane of every nurse’s existence: charting.

What are three things you love about your specialty?

One thing I love the most is the connection you make with patients and families at a very scary time. A cancer diagnosis truly flips an entire family’s life upside down. I love being that familiar smiling face for them.

The second thing I love is that my specialty is just that — extremely specialized. I feel like I stepped into a completely different world when I decided to be an oncology nurse. The amount there is to learn is vast; just when you think you’re getting a handle on it, a new drug, treatment, or protocol is released to battle cancer. I love that every day is challenging and there is always something new to question and dig deeper into.

What I love most specifically about my specialty is the kids. They ignite a passion in me every day. Whenever I think I’m having a bad day, I get blasted by a Nerf gun, or tagged in the hallway, or spend 5 minutes I probably don’t have coloring with a patient who’s been stuck in their room for days. As aggressive as cancer is, these kids are resilient and they make my worst days better by just being kids.

One thing you hate?

Though I love my job, there are times where I question whether it’s too late to become a wedding planner instead (just kidding). But like any job, there are bad days.

What I dislike the most is fairly obvious — cancer kills and saying goodbye is hard. I still have moments where I think of a conversation with a patient fighting for their life, and remember that they’re gone now. I spend a lot of time praying for my patients and their families; my job has strengthened my faith a lot. Knowing that a kid spent their entire life in the hospital and now we have to send them home to pass away is never easy.

One thing that keeps me going is when a patient completes their treatment and we have a discharge party for them. That makes it worth it, knowing we gave a kid the rest of their life back.

What’s one piece of advice that you’d give a current nurse or student who’s interested in this specialty?

It takes a very special kind of person to become a pediatric oncology nurse so if you have that fire inside of you telling you that you can handle it, do it! We need nurses who have a passion for what we do. Like some of your professors may have said, there’s a difference between a nurse and a good nurse. If you are ready to be a good nurse — the nurse who gets nominated for a daisy award; who families thank at the end of the shift; who patient’s ask, “will you be back tomorrow?”; the nurse that a mom trusts to sit with her child while she grabs food for the first time in 2 days — then do it.

Heme/onc/transplant requires a balance of empathy and tough love. As bad as you may feel that a patient is having a rough day, you’ll still have to push them to do the things they don’t want to do. I love my specialty, I love my kids, I love what I do!

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Not only is Saba an amazing nurse, she also regularly drops fitness and nutrition gems. Stay in touch by following her on Instagram! Be sure to check out our other One on One’s here.