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Emergency Room Nurse
Weiler Division Hospital
Chris Walker has lived the real-life “ER” at Montefiore’s East Campus hospital for nearly a decade. For fans of the TV version, here’s what the genuine drama is like—and with staff like Chris, why Montefiore’s Emergency Services are rated tops.
“My niche in nursing is Emergency,” says Chris. “I started as a medic in the Air Force. I was a flight nurse, transporting seriously ill soldiers and diplomats for treatment. So I have always been in a critical care situation.
“ER is a dynamic place to work. Every day is different and always changing. At Weiler, most of our patients come in with chest pains or other medical problems. With a cardiac or medical condition, you have to figure out quickly what is happening with this patient. The team at Weiler is very good at working together to do that.
“The ER nursing staff works closely with the ER doctors and specialists who are called in. Our mutual goal is to solve the puzzle of what is wrong and help that patient. There’s a real sharing of information from nurse to doctor and doctor to nurse. It’s a collegial atmosphere with a lot of emphasis on critical thinking.
“I want to do everything I can to make a person feel better.”
“There’s also a great team spirit among the nurses. I worked as an EMT before I became a nurse and I know that’s not always true, certainly not like it is at Weiler. We pitch in. Someone might start an I.V. for me and another time I’ll do the same for another nurse. There is a lot of selflessness among the staff, and that keeps our ER running well.
“For me, the biggest challenge as an ER nurse is the balancing act of meeting patients’ critical needs and doing the small things that comfort them. I want to do everything I can to make a person feel better.
“It’s very satisfying to know you’ve helped a patient. Nothing makes me more pleased than when a patient says to me, ‘You’re good at what you do!’ And nothing makes me prouder than knowing my eight-year-old son thinks it’s cool that his dad is a nurse.”
Doreen Lleras R.N. & Andrea Montalvo R.N.
Nurse Practitioner, Department of Urology
Children's Hospital at Montefiore - CHAM
People want to work here, they want to be part of this extraordinary hospital for children.
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