Beth Cooper is a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at the QMG Surgery Center. Her job involves providing direct anesthesia care to patients for all the surgical services provided at the surgery center. She shared more about what makes her time with patients special.
Rumor is that you are known as the “baby whisperer.” Why do you enjoy taking care of pediatric patients?
“I provide anesthesia for patients of all ages, but the pediatric population has a special place in my heart. Surgery day for your little one can be such an anxiety-inducing thing. I try my best to put parents at ease by explaining what to expect around surgery and anesthesia for their child. I also put the patient at ease by playing games with the older kids as they go to sleep or snuggling and watching cartoons with our younger patients. As a mother of a small child, I try to provide the level of comfort and safety that I would want for my own daughter.”
Why makes your time with patients special?
“Going off to sleep for surgery can be such a scary thing for pediatric patients, especially when they’re too young to truly grasp what is going on. I try my best to turn something that could be anxiety-inducing into a fun experience. We have a wagon for the ride to the OR, scented masks, special stickers, and even a balloon game we play while going off to sleep. Seeing a patient that was anxious in pre-op go off to sleep happy and comfortable is so special.”
What does providing a good patient experience mean to you?
“I realize that each patient comes to this experience with different anxieties, fears, needs, and wants. I make a concerted effort to treat each patient as a unique individual and provide each with the best level of care that I can. I believe if patients are empowered with information and feel that they are included in their care, much of the anxiety around surgery and anesthesia can be alleviated. My favorite thing is when I have a previously anxious patient that wakes up in the recovery room and can’t believe that their surgery is already over.”