Stanford Medicine Children's Health Nursing Annual Report 2025

Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds Nursing Annual Report 2025

Nursing Annual Report 2025

A Word From Our CNO When I look back on 2025, I am humbled and amazed by the extraordinary efforts and dedication of our nursing team. They are at the heart of our patient care, and families rely on our nurses’ deep compassion, skill, and hope to navigate their child’s illness and celebrate their improved health.

As we are a Magnet® hospital, our nurses are dedicated to achieving excellence in clinical practice, innovation, and patient-centered care. They work at the top of their abilities to create a truly healing environment at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. In this report, you will read remarkable stories of how our nurses help us go above and beyond to provide a seamless continuum of care for our patients and families, one that is focused on the whole child and whole family, with an eye toward improving the health of our greater community.

Highlights from this year include: • Achieving the American Association of Critical Care Nurses “Beacon of Excellence” award in our Cardiovascular ICU. • Earning Press Ganey’s Pinnacle of Excellence Award for our neonatal region.

Jesus Cepero, PhD, RN Chief Nursing Officer Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services

• Becoming the second hospital on the West Coast to be named a Society for Pediatric Sedation Center of Excellence.

• Expanding Spanish-speaking unit-based interpreters to all acute care areas.

• Receiving the prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.

• Implementing evidence-based methods to achieve over 890 CLABSI free days on a patient care unit.

• Delivered over 5,000 babies.

I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of our nursing team, and I look forward to continued success in the next year. Together, we achieve greatness in pediatric health care.

In This Issue Awards and Recognition .......................................................... 3

Exemplary Professional Practice ............................................ 19

Transformational Leadership ................................................... 7

New Knowledge and Innovation ............................................. 27

Structural Empowerment ........................................................ 13

Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

2025 Nursing Excellence by the Numbers Highly Skilled Workforce

54.6% 2,226 84.8% 221 RN certifcation rate

APRNs

Investing in Clinical Excellence

RN residents

127 Level III

RNs

BSN and higher rate

72

Professional Nurse Development Program

74 407

716 Level IV

Tenure in Years

38%

36%

0 to 5

10+

APP student placements RN student placements

26% 5 to 10

Key APP Advanced Practice Provider | APRN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse | BSN Bachelor of Science in Nursing | RN Registered Nurse

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Awards and Recognition NICU Receives Pinnacle of Excellence Award Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has been recognized with the prestigious Human Experience award from Press Ganey, known as the Pinnacle of Excellence Award.

The honor applies to the hospital’s Neonatal Region, which includes the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Level II Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN), and Stanford Children’s Special Care Nursery (SCN) at Sequoia Hospital. The award recognized the neonatal team’s sustained excellence in patient experience as measured by an average Likelihood to Recommend score of 88.5% for three consecutive recent years.

ChunFung (Jacky) Lam, MSN, RN, NE-BC, RNC-NIC, Director of Neonatal Services, attributes the Neonatal Region’s high patient satisfaction scores to “a positive team culture” and “building strong relationships with patients and families.” The nurse and provider teams also “proactively address any concerns with compassion.”

ChunFung Lam, center, with hospital leaders and Patient Experience

The achievement demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to providing nationally recognized, family-centered care for critically ill newborns and their families. It highlights how seamless collaboration among nurses, providers, therapists, social workers, and staf contributes to exceptional, holistic support for patients and families.

“Our nurses’ consistent, emotional support for families, and dedication to advancing care quality and practices, was instrumental in achieving this award.”

ChunFung Lam, Director of Neonatal Services

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

2025 Nightingale The Tenth Annual Nightingale Awards honored over 200 exceptional nurses at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Inspired by Florence Nightingale, this Award Winners annual event celebrates the extraordinary achievements of bedside nurses,

nurse leaders, and team members. Congratulations to the 18 Nightingale Award recipients for their unshakable commitment, dedication, and compassion, profoundly impacting patients and families.

2025 Nightingale Award honorees: • Clinical Excellence—Caitlyn Meltvedt (NICU) • Emerging Talent—Japeth Cruz (PCU 300) • Eminence Award—Radhika Kannan (NICU) • Excellence in Advocacy—Abigail Helman (NICU) • Excellence in Community Outreach—Ann Tay (NICU) • Excellence in Innovation—Radhika Kannan (NICU) • Excellence in Mentoring—Ellen Scanlon (CVICU) • Excellence in Nursing Leadership—Ingrid Melo (PCU 500/520) • Excellence in Precepting—Meera Narayanan (PICU) • Excellence in Quality, Safety, and Improvement— Ashley Frankel (CPE&I) • Excellence in Research—Amelia Sperber (CPE&I) • Excellence in Teamwork—PICU APPs • Friend of Nursing—Jennifer Rifin (Peds Critical Care Transport) • Friend of Nursing—Physician—Anca Pasca (Neonatology) • Innovation and Improvement (APP)—Amy Dickeson (Gastroenterology) • Preceptor of the Year (APP)—Elizabeth Callard (Peds Stem Cell) • Rising Star (APP)—Jonathan Strope (CVICU) • Exemplary Clinical Practice Award (APP)— Kaylie Nguyen (Gastroenterology)

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2025 Nightingale Award honorees

Nursing Annual Report 2025

2025 DAISY Award Winners

Recognition by the Numbers Holly Graham (PICU)

Krista Shea (L&D)

Anna Alley (PICU)

2025 Nightingale Excellence Awards

247 18 Nominations

Jackie Garcia (Bass Float)

Christina Davis (Bass Infusion Center)

Nadia Rafuddin (NICU)

Honorees

Individual DAISY Awards

33 9

Nominations

Honorees

Annual DAISY Awards Emily Orbe (Case Management )

Jessica Butler (PCU 500/520)

Jasmine Qureshi (NICU)

Team DAISY

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Nominations

1

Honoree

Nurse Leader DAISY

Nurse Leader DAISY: Stephanie Wintch

Team Daisy PCU 400

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Nominations

1

Honoree

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CVICU Receives Beacon Award

Sedation Program Named Center of Excellence

The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) is a “beacon of excellence,” according to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The team received the association’s Beacon Award for meeting rigid excellence criteria, exhibiting high-quality standards, and achieving exceptional outcomes. The award letter highlighted CVICU’s robust nursing practices—including resiliency support for patients and families, nurse education and mentorship, and strong shared governance. “The award reminds us of our tremendous accomplishments and motivates us to continue our eforts,” says Shannon Feehan, MSN, RN, CPN, Patient Care Services Director, Heart Center.

Ever since the Sedation Program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health started in 2023, nursing and physician leaders set their sights on the prominent Society for Pediatric Sedation’s Center of Excellence designation. In 2025, they achieved their impressive goal.

The Sedation Program supports children moving from anesthesia to milder types of sedation, such as laughing gas, relaxing medication, or entertainment for a stressful test, such as an MRI. The ultimate goal is to help patients feel comfortable receiving tests and simple procedures with no sedation at all.

Stephanie Wintch, RN, MSN, CNS, HACP, Sedation Program Manager, led the charge to ready Stanford Children’s for excellence in sedation by creating sound protocols, quality measures, trainings, and outcomes reporting. The program, which provides diferent levels of sedation, from medication to distraction to help children relax and stay still during medical tests and procedures, received the designation in just 18 months from its start.

“For children who receive frequent procedures, helping them overcome medical trauma is life-changing for them and their families.”

The attributes of the designation are safety, efciency, timeliness, efectiveness, family and patient centered care, and equitable care. The sedation team received high marks in every area, with special recognition of its frst-in-nation parent mentor program, strong interdisciplinary partnership with Child Life and anesthesiologists, and outstanding patient satisfaction scores.

Stephanie shared a story of a 5-year-old who came to the hospital traumatized and reactive, with a history of having to be held down for his monthly infusion sessions. “We worked with him for a long time, helping him overcome his trauma by providing nitrous oxide as a game of going to space. He is no longer afraid of infusions,” Stephanie said.

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Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is the frst children’s hospital in Northern California to receive the designation and just the second on the West Coast.

Stephanie Wintch, RN, MSN, CNS, HACP

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Transformational Leadership Case Managers: Connecting the Pieces for Holistic, Integrated Care At Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, patients beneft from a heightened systemwide commitment to caring for children along the entire continuum of care.

Baby Hector was born prematurely. He’s blind and deaf, and has primary kidney disease. At 4 months old, he weighed just 14 pounds.

Hector has Pierson syndrome, a very rare, serious disease that afects kidneys and eyes and occurs in fewer than 1,000 people in the United States. He spent his frst three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Stanford Children’s. It’s remarkable that Hector is home, living outside the hospital, and enjoying daily life with his loving parents.

“He was very happy, especially in his parents’ arms, despite all the complexity of his health,” said Lauretta Holt, BSN, RN, CCM, his dedicated case manager.

The marvel of Hector going home was the result of well-coordinated care all along his care trajectory. Stanford Children’s is dedicated to

Baby Hector with Lauretta Holt (far left) and his parents

caring for the whole child and whole family, and case managers are a key player in ensuring that the right care is given at the right time, from birth to discharge and beyond.

To advance the commitment of Stanford Children’s to provide seamlessly integrated care throughout the care journey, the organization recently realigned its leadership structure, creating the Director of Access and Continuum of Care role.

“Our partnership with the family is really important for a child’s best outcome.

I give Hector’s family a lot of credit for managing his care well.”

Lauretta Holt, BSN, RN, CCM, Pediatric Nurse Case Manager

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

This role brings together care management to improve access and fow for patients from transport and admission to discharge and outpatient care, ensuring that their care journey is seamless.

Hector’s parents speak Mixteco Bajo. His father also speaks Spanish.

Lauretta arranged for a unit-based Spanish interpreter* to be present for trainings, education, family care conferences, and team huddles.

“I am excited to partner with teams throughout the organization to bring together critical care transport, clinical access, and care coordination to provide excellent patient care across the continuum,” said Amy Chapman, MSN, RN, CNS, NEA-BC, Director of Access and Continuum of Care.

She also arranged for Hector’s mom to receive the same training in Mixteco Bajo using the Interpreter Services at Stanford Children’s, which provides remote access to 200 language options via phone and video. This included trainings with PD nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists to make sure the family could demonstrate competency in providing PD, oxygen, and G-tube care at home.

Case managers, who work with every acute and critically ill child in the hospital, spend their days supporting patient families and communicating with various internal and external members of the care team to make sure families have everything they need— knowledge, training, equipment, resources, understanding, and emotional support—to handle their child’s complex health diagnosis.

Case managers are like the hub of a wheel, bringing together all the diferent spokes of services to ensure exceptional, holistic care that empowers families and gives children their best chance at a full life.

While Hector was in the NICU, he required regular peritoneal dialysis (PD), oxygen, and a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) for proper nutrition.

Lauretta managed his care with special care teams and worked with various vendors to ensure that he had the equipment he needed from bedside to home.

One of the frst calls Lauretta made was to California Children’s Services (CCS) to establish insurance and a CCS case manager for the family. When CCS approved home health nursing to help with enteral feeds, vital checks, and equipment management, Lauretta put in countless hours to locate and secure a home health nurse.

Each case manager specializes in a few service areas, so they become experts in the type of support that population of patients and families often needs. They participate in rounds as an advocate for the family, bringing a bigger-picture perspective to critical points along the care continuum. Ensuring that all requirements for discharge are met is a major duty for case managers, who may manage a few dozen patients at a time.

Because of Hector’s well-coordinated care, he was discharged at 3 months old and is now able to spend most of his time at home.

Lauretta connected the family to the Complex Primary Care Clinic, which keeps case management support going strong on an outpatient basis for medically complex children cared for at Stanford Children’s.

At least once a month, Hector and his family stay at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford for his follow-up visits. His care team bundles his appointments with his seven specialists, including nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, genetics, otolaryngology (ENT), and general surgery, making it possible for the family to live at home the remainder of the month. Doing so means that Hector’s dad can maintain his job and support the family’s needs.

*See page 13 for more information about unit-based interpreters.

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Patient Care Services Summit Goes to Camp Annual summit’s playful theme engaged attendees as they enhanced communication skills, formed meaningful connections, and shared stories of community connection.

Everyone loves the idea of going to camp—sitting around a campfre, swapping stories, and forming friendships, not to mention the fun of exploring and having adventures together. Each year, the Center for Professional Excellence and Inquiry (CPE&I) develops a theme for its Patient Care Services Summit to ensure that the nearly 280 attendees, including shared governance council members and leaders from across Patient Care Services (PCS), have an immersive, meaningful experience. This year’s theme was a fctional summer camp called “Camp Chatterly.”

with their teams, and connect with the community.

A highlight was hearing nurses share their personal stories of volunteering at local medical camps, including the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health transplant camp. Others told of volunteer experiences to give back to their communities, such as partnering with an area nonproft, Life Moves, to adopt families during the

The summit organizers served as “camp counselors” in colorful T-shirts with the camp logo, which was custom designed by local high school student Lillian Leung. In addition to the playful logo, Lillian designed 11 stickers, including seven “badges” that attendees earned throughout the day.

Every summit has an overarching educational focus, and this year’s was fostering strong communication among teams and between staf and patients and families. Each activity cleverly and interactively reinforced the theme of communication’s power. Even the camp’s name served as a playful spin on the communication theme.

The summit was crafted as a journey through the 7 Cs of Communication: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous. Activities were designed to simulate real-world scenarios, encouraging attendees to step into the shoes of those they care for and explore how empathetic listening can transcend barriers, build trust, provide holistic care, and foster healing relationships. Activities also reinforced how efective communication helps staf connect with themselves, connect stanfordchildrens.org

PCS Summit organizers

holidays. The day ended with a campfre-feel parent panel—a warm, open discussion on how words mattered when their child was in the hospital, providing a comforting, unifying way to end the day.

See page 11 for more information about community partner, Lillian Leung.

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Colorful Collaboration: Connecting With Community to Spread Cheer and Enhance Communication Stanford Medicine Children’s Health connects to the community in many ways. Recently, the Center for Professional Excellence & Inquiry (CPE&I) partnered with two area high school students on colorful projects to beneft patients and staf.

When David Clark was deciding on his Eagle Scout project, he knew he wanted to do something that contributed to his community and more specifcally to the hospital that provided him with great care as a

patient. He decided to build and donate over 100 IV Lily Pads, specially designed IV pole bases, to bring cheer to patients during extended hospital stays and help them explore beyond their hospital room while receiving infusions. Hospital nurses and staf, along with community members, helped David decorate the IV pole bases, adding colorful images, including cartoon characters and animals. In total, David presented the hospital with 111 Lily Pads at a ceremony in March 2025.

Nursing Annual Report 2025

Another high school student, Lillian Leung, brought youthful energy to the organization’s annual Patient Care Services Summit (see story on page 9). To support the summit’s theme of going to camp, Lillian, who was enrolled in a commercial art and design class, developed colorful graphics to enhance the summit’s key educational focus of connecting through communication. She contributed her fresh perspective and artistic skills to create the camp’s logo, as well as sticker “badges” that campers earned as they completed each training section. Some stickers portrayed animals native to California that represented a key element of communication. For example, a hummingbird depicted concise communication, and a butterfly signified courteous communication. Other stickers emphasized the

importance of connecting with teams (Together We Move Mountains) and with patients and families (Holding Paws, Caring Together). Each sticker served as a visual cue, offering a playful yet meaningful extension to the summit experience.

These successful community partnerships underscore the hospital’s commitment to fostering young talent and revitalizing the traditional health care setting. The experience was mutually advantageous for everyone involved. David and Lillian gained invaluable opportunities and insights while the organization received fresh ideas and fun equipment to enrich the experiences of Stanford Children’s patients, families, and staff.

Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Recognizing a Transplant Leader Joshua Gossett, DNP, MBA, RN, FACHE, CPHQ, CCTC, Director of the Pediatric Transplant Center at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, was elected to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) board, a signifcant achievement. The Children’s Hospital Association supported his candidacy, underscoring his dedication to achieving high-quality transplantation outcomes for children and their confdence in his future contributions to advance OPTN’s mission. Joshua has been a valued leader at Stanford Children’s since 2018, helping the hospital become No. 1 in the Western United States in pediatric organ transplant volumes, and No. 3 nationwide.

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Transplant Education Fair Leaders of the Transplant Specialty Care Team took a fresh, multidisciplinary approach to transplant education.

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is a national transplant volume leader with more than 25 years of experience caring for some of the youngest, smallest, and most acute patients in the country.

Caring for children who have solid organ transplants requires acute care nurses to be prepared to face complex challenges.

Seeking a new approach to traditional professional development activities, Transplant Specialty Care Team co-chairs Jennifer Young, BSN, RN, PED-BC,

CCTN, and Mary Jane Aberin-Marchan, BSN, RN, PED-BC, CCTN, organized a transplant education fair with multidisciplinary educators.

The dynamic learning environment encouraged acute care nurses on PCU 300, PCU 360, and PCU 400 to visit diferent educator stations.

The fair was held in April during National Pediatric Transplant Week, which coincided nicely with participation by Donor Network West, a nonproft that shared knowledge about the organ donation process.

Topics were aligned with the results of a recent learning assessment. Nurse educators taught vital skills and shared knowledge tailored to our high-acuity environment, including education on hemodialysis, immunology, and pharmacology.

Liver transplant physician assistants (PAs) highlighted transplant surgical connections and details on the variety of transplants children receive at Stanford Children’s, including heart, liver, lung, kidney, and intestine.

The fresh training approach gave nurses confdence and empowered the specialty care team to creatively use their passion and leadership skills to enhance transplant education.

Jennifer Young, top left, next to Mary Jane Aberin-Marchan

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Structural Empowerment Expanding Access to Language Concordant Care Stanford Medicine Children’s Health deepens its commitment to providing more meaningful care to patients and families whose language preference is other than English.

When patients and families receive care in their own language, they feel more comfortable and empowered during hospital stays. That was the premise behind a 2024 nurse-led pilot program to bring inperson, unit-based interpreters to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, which was recently expanded across Stanford Children’s.

In June, Interpreter Services partnered with nurses and staf to roll out the Unit-based Interpreters program to all acute care units as well as the Cardiovascular ICU, Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, and Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services.

The program empowers families whose language preference is other than English to actively and more confdently participate in care decisions. By attending rounds with an interpreter present, they can ask questions and weigh in on the care plan. In addition to being

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present at rounds, unit-based interpreters help with trainings and interpreting family conferences.

Spanish-speaking unit-based interpreters are available eight hours each day. Other languages and interpretation modalities are available 24/7, 365 days a year. A multidisciplinary committee meets monthly to further reduce barriers to language concordant care across the hospital.

“I’m grateful for our partnership with nurses, who are passionate about language access and are true advocates.”

Angelica Villagran de Gonzales, Manager of Interpreter Services

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Auxiliaries Endowment Grants Enhance Care, Change Lives The Association of Auxiliaries for Children (AAC) is a group of passionate philanthropists and volunteers who are dedicated to providing extraordinary medical care to children and their families. Members of the six Auxiliaries, from San Jose to San Francisco, work with the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health to raise millions of dollars to help children heal and thrive.

Support from the Auxiliaries Endowment has touched every corner of the hospital.

From funding the Chariot Program, which uses innovative virtual reality to capture children’s imaginations and alleviate their pain and anxiety, to providing parents with easy, step-by-step videos on gastrostomy tube care at home, Auxiliaries grants are elevating care for patients and families at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

“We are truly thankful for the confdence and trust the Association of Auxiliaries for Children has shown our organization by giving us grants to continue vital work that positively impacts patients and families,” said Jenny Shafer, Manager, Ofce of Patient/Family Education and Health Literacy.

In 2025, the Auxiliaries Endowment collectively awarded $1.5 million in grants to 24 projects led by nurses, providers, and allied health professionals.

Their funding helped sustain these vital and innovative programs.

Auxiliaries Endowment Grant Recipients for 2025 Lori Starks and Lucy Morizio, Ambulatory Administration, Suicide Screening via Welcome Tablet

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Ndidi Unaka, Center for Pediatric and Maternal Value (cpmV), Introduction to the Hospital Video for Non-English-Speaking Families Cora dela Cruz, Center for Professional Excellence and Inquiry (CPE&I), Empowering Hearts: Rehabilitation That Makes a Diference Simran Atwal, CPE&I, Nursing Summit Carmela Junio and Mona Cruz, CPE&I Innovation Center Mannikin Chariot Program, Matching Gift, Chariot Endowment Helen Ybarra, Child Life, STAR Unit Developmental Support Lonisa McCabe and Kirsten CottenSheldon, Dialysis, Dialysis Patient Catheter Emergency and Disaster Kits Ana Staford, Family Guidance and Bereavement Program, Little Lights Memory Making Day Mothers and Babies Campaign, West Building Expansion Melissa Scala, Neonatology/Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Neurodevelopmental Language Support

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Jenny Shafer, Ofce of Patient/Family Education & Health Literacy (OPFEHL), Patient Education and Family Centered Care Summits Linda Morrisey, OPFEHL, Professional Photography for Patient Education Documents Jenny Shafer, OPFEHL, Pediatric Respiratory Distress Education Melissa Tribble, Pediatric Audiology, Pediatric Audiology HEARO Program

Monique Barakat, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Endoscopy Simulator Yasemin Cagil, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Launching Non-Sedated Endoscopy Program Jennie Magana-Soto, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Communication Cards Kinshoo Tyagi, PICU, PICU UP! Illness Doesn’t Mean Stillness—Early Mobilization— Every Kid, Every Day!

Karen J. Parker, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Lab-Based Diagnostic Test for Autism Andi Levenson, Social Services Department, Tea and Card Signing Kunj Sheth, Urology, The Vortex Shunt Maryellen Brady, Volunteer Services, Johnson Center Bedside Reading Program

The Chariot Program uses virtual reality and play to alleviate pain and anxiety for children undergoing procedures.

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Where Heroes Heal Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s new Infusion Center enhances care and comfort for hematology/oncology patients and provides a sanctuary for little warriors and their families.

The moment families step of the elevators on the ground foor of the hospital’s West building, they realize they are not in an ordinary medical space. As they approach the entrance of the new Infusion Center, they are greeted by a life-size Spider-Man fgurine alongside colorful art renderings of Captain America and other comic book superheroes. The display reminds children of their strength and encourages them to relax and have fun. They then proceed to their own private infusion room—something families requested—where they settle in behind a closed door and optional curtain to let down in the comfort of their own family and engage in private conversations with providers. Private infusion rooms also promote better infection control for immunocompromised patients.

backpacks, and other small touches that make a big diference.

Frontline nurses also provided valuable input, including grouping items nurses use in one area of the room and using chairs versus beds to create a well-versus-sick atmosphere.

“Families really appreciate having a private space where they can truly relax,” Merian said. “The playful, colorful superhero art at the entrance, and the under-the-sea theme inside, gives an upbeat vibe that subtly tells kids you are not your illness. You are in a place that supports your wellness.”

The new space succeeds at empowering kids to rise above and see beyond, like the superheroes that they are.

The expanded, inviting Specialty Services Infusion Center within Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases was designed to uplift spirits and make life a little easier for children who endure regular infusions for cancer and blood disorders, and their families.

The state-of-the-art space features 15 private infusion bays with reclining chairs; a loveseat; and bright, inspiring artwork. Certifed infusion nurses use their own superpowers to make infusion a pleasant, safe experience. “Our nurses are trained to the same standards and care protocols as inpatient infusion nurses,” says Merian Van Eijk, RN, MSN, CPHON, Patient Care Manager, Bass Infusion Center. “We provide all infusion therapies, including stem cell, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, blood transfusions, and drug infusions.”

The Bass Center’s Family Advisory Committee, including parents of children who get regular infusions, guided the design. They inspired the addition of a side desk for parents to work, hooks for bags and 16

Merian Van Eijk (right) with Infusion Center RNs.

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Superheroes greet patients and families at the entrance of the new Bass Center Specialty Services Infusion Center. Colorful artwork throughout the expanded space creates a fun and cheerful ambience.

Private rooms allow for relaxation and privacy during infusions and ofer additional infection prevention for immunocompromised patients.

Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Innovation in the Eye of Adversity Out of a crisis, new, better fuid-saving practices were established and remain in place today, resulting in better patient care experiences and cost savings.

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene severely damaged the country’s major IV fuid manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

The subsequent fuid shortages sent hospitals nationwide into a tailspin, including Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

“We had to act immediately and get creative to fgure out how to conserve our fuids,” said Amelia Sperber, DNP, RN, CNS, CPNP-PC, Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, Neurosciences.

A system-wide task force and command center were immediately established to determine multiple strategic plans. Several leadership teams were brought to the table for weekly meetings. Amelia was part of an interdisciplinary committee, including pharmacy, providers, and other nursing clinical leaders, that explored ways to conserve fuids and shared those ideas with the larger group.

Solutions were driven by best practices and patient safety. The committee identifed areas where they could better align with best

$34.5K fluid savings

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practices to conserve fuids, such as enabling patients to have clear fuids for up to one hour before procedures, delaying the need to start IV fuids for hydration. Other practice changes included continuing remaining IV fuids from the Operating Room (OR)/PostAnesthesia Care Unit (PACU) rather than starting a new bag, using patient rounds to assess the need for IV fuids, and using the smallest bags available for chaser fuids. These new practices have been permanently adopted and remain in place today as huddle guides tailored to each unit.

Some of the changes resulted in a better patient and family experience, such as the relief of being able to drink clear liquids longer before a procedure, which is especially comforting for families of hungry or fussy babies. Fluid-saving eforts were completed with the utmost safety for patients, resulting in zero increase in hospitalacquired conditions.

0%

Increase in harm

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Exemplary Professional Practice Saving Lives With Gold-Level ECMO Care Nurses at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health help provide critical care support when every second counts.

Dylan, center, visiting his care team

Dylan Abello’s family never imagined that a bout of the respiratory fu would land their sturdy teenage son in the hospital for two months, fghting for his life.

“It seemed like he was sick for a very long time, then one day he started having trouble breathing, so we took him to our local emergency room,” said his dad, Andrew.

The family learned that Dylan had severe pneumonia. The doctors recommended he be transferred to Stanford Children’s for a higher level of lifesaving care. Their son would likely beneft from ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a highly complex heart-lung bypass machine.

Only the sickest, most critical patients require ECMO, which acts as the patient’s heart and/or lungs when theirs are not working properly.

It’s used only in the most severe cases of respiratory failure, cardiac failure, and sepsis. Nurses must master highly advanced skills to care for children on ECMO, and their collaboration with the ECMO program is vital to providing high-quality care. Stanford Children’s is a high-volume ECMO center. It provides ECMO to an average of 45 to 50 children per year, of which about 20% are cared for in the PICU. In 2025, the ECMO program reached a record volume of 57 cases.

“Our ECMO specialists work seamlessly with a complex multidisciplinary team to provide lifesaving care for patients supported on ECMO.” Kate Ryan, MD, Director of ECMO Services

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Dylan received care from a multidisciplinary team, which included critical care doctors, a surgeon, a pulmonologist, perfusionists, ECMO specialists, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists, and specially trained nurses.

of ECMO Services at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center.

Across its three ICUs, pediatric, cardiovascular, and neonatal, Stanford Children’s has over 100 RN ECMO primers who provide highly specialized bedside care that directly impacts patients’ survival and long-term outcomes.

“RN ECMO specialists provide continuous, highly specialized bedside surveillance, allowing for early recognition of subtle changes that may precede catastrophic events,” Ozzie said. Nurses receive ongoing ELSO guideline education and are involved in regular ECMO meetings to review cases and ensure expertise. ECMO teams have multidisciplinary drills twice a year that simulate emergencies to promote patient safety, staf competency, and ELSO best practices.

“ECMO trained nurses have strengthened our ECMO program signifcantly. They are critical members of our ECMO team,” said Ozzie Jahadi, CCP, FPP, CES-P, Manager of Perfusion & ECMO Services.

Dylan remained on ECMO for 24 days, much longer than the average, according to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO), the guiding ECMO organization nationwide. Stanford Children’s has been a Gold Center of Excellence with ELSO since 2016.

“Putting Dylan on ECMO was surreal and scary, but we had to trust that it was helping,” Andrew said. “The team was so kind and informative and took a lot of time with us.”

Dozens of nurses shared in Dylan’s care and healing, with an ECMO RN always at his bedside monitoring the highly complex machine.

Stanford Children’s has an established ECMO medical director, educator, and perfusionist for every ICU. The units share 12 RN ECMO specialists, advanced practice nurses who perform sophisticated ECMO tasks.

“Our ECMO specialists are the backbone of our ECMO program, serving patients with skill, dedication, and compassion. They work seamlessly with a complex multidisciplinary team to provide lifesaving care for patients supported on ECMO,” said Kate Ryan, MD, Director 20

RN ECMO specialists are experts in circuit physiology, troubleshooting, anticoagulation monitoring, and emergency response, often intervening rapidly during high-risk scenarios.

“I will always remember the day Dylan started getting better, and the day when he came of ECMO,” Andrew said.

The family gave a collective sigh of relief, but Dylan’s care journey didn’t end there. Being on ECMO for an extensive period requires rehabilitation to regain strength. Nurses coordinated care with his rehabilitation team, who worked diligently to ensure that he could go home and receive outpatient physical therapy rather than be transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

After a nearly two-month hospital stay, Dylan arrived home just in time for his senior prom.

“I didn’t really dance too much, because I was still kind of recovering,” Dylan said. “But it was fun to be with my friends again.”

A highlight for the Stanford Children’s PICU team was having Dylan and his family come visit a few months after discharge.

He was greeted with hugs, big grins, and a lot of relief in how healthy he looked.

“We wanted to come back and thank the team for taking such great care of us,” Andrew said. “We are so grateful, every day.” stanfordchildrens.org

Nursing Annual Report 2025

Empowering New Moms and Newborns to Breastfeed and Bond Stanford Medicine Children’s Health achieves prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation for adopting evidence-based practices that promote breastfeeding and skin-to-skin time.

In April 2025, Stanford Children’s achieved the prestigious BabyFriendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted

by Baby-Friendly USA. We join a growing list of more than 500 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global initiative of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative’s goal is to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies through promoting and supporting breastfeeding and immediate skin-to-skin bonding (see story on page 22) after birth.

Baby-Friendly hospitals are required to adhere to evidence-based practices outlined in the BFHI’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

“We are proud to have earned the Baby Friendly Designation in 2025. Being designated a Baby-Friendly hospital provides so many benefts for patients and families,” said Luanne Smedley, MHA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Director and Associate Chief Nursing Ofcer, Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services.

Luanne emphasizes that the designation strengthens breastfeeding education, support, and care practices at Stanford Children’s, while fostering a nurturing environment for newborns and their families, thereby promoting healthier outcomes and empowering parents.

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The positive health efects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world.

Baby-Friendly designation recognizes that the Stanford Children’s nursing staf have the knowledge, competence, and skills needed to support breastfeeding. Mothers are encouraged to practice breastfeeding while rooming in and are counseled on managing challenges and recognizing their infants’ feeding cues.

The Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services also promotes Baby-Friendly goals through a Breastfeeding Support program, including a new Infant Nutrition Lab, lactation consultation and support groups, and skin-to-skin bonding. Achieving Baby-Friendly designation demonstrates that Stanford Children’s adheres to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

CVICU Skin-to-Skin Event Helps Newborns Start Strong Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit nurses adopt evidence-based practice to promote positive neurodevelopmental outcomes for newborns with congenital heart disease.

Hearing that your newborn baby has a congenital heart disease (CHD) and having them spend time in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) hooked up to machines after birth often feels scary and overwhelming to parents, who feel unsure of how to hold and nurture their child.

To help parents overcome their fears, and to educate staf, nurses in the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center’s CVICU and Acute Care Cardiology Unit (ACCU) held their frst Congenital Heart Disease Skin-a-thon in tandem with the national Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative, and in partnership with Child Life and Creative Arts and the Heart Center’s Thrive Program (mental health).

Skin-to-skin time between baby and parent—when an infant wears only a diaper and is held to a parent’s bare chest—has been found to lower the risk of newborn health problems, promote breastfeeding, and help establish a bond between parents and babies.

During the second week in May 2025, nurse leaders held “Camp Cuddles,” where camp counselors—nurse champions—provided education to families and bedside nurses on therapeutic touch, holding, and developmental care. Each day had a diferent theme; families earned badges when they gave skin-to-skin time, and nurses earned badges for supporting and educating families.

“Nurses helped families understand the importance of skin-to-skin care for their baby with CHD, including better neurological, psychosocial, neurodevelopmental, and physical outcomes,” said Christina “Tina” Duelley, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, Clinical Practice Quality Specialist. “Many babies diagnosed with CHD are also born preterm, putting them at an even higher risk for poor outcomes.”

For babies with complex heart disease, parents are taught how to provide hand hugs—placing a still hand on an infant’s head, torso, or tummy, or cupping their feet.

At the end of the CVICU Skin-a-thon, nurses felt more comfortable supporting parents and parents felt empowered. “Many of the CVICU families commented on feeling relief when getting to hand hug or hold their infant,” Tina said.

The Skin-a-thon and our recent Baby Friendly designation (see story on page 21) highlight Stanford Medicine’s strong commitment to supporting newborn development and family bonding.

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Books to Help Children Bloom The Patient Education Council and the Ofce of Patient/Family Education & Health Literacy (OPFEHL) have been on a noble mission to increase literacy among patients at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and improve their health through reading.

Jenny Shafer, DNP, CNS, ACCNS-P, OPFEHL Manager, and Ann Leung, BSN, RN, CPN, Clinical Nurse IV, teamed up on a grant proposal, and Native Daughters of the Golden West stepped forward with funding.

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Their eforts culminated in the distribution of over 500 books to patients during Health Literacy Month.

The Patient Education Council brought a bookmobile wagon to every unit, stopping at each room to ofer a child a book, bookmarker, and book bag. All books were provided in English and Spanish. To mark the occasion, Jesus Cepero, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Ofcer, read the book How Dinosaurs Stay Safe to children at a Discovering Health through Books event.

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Teamwork Triumphs: Collaborating to Combat the Respiratory Season Together Registered nurses and respiratory therapists team up to provide care during respiratory illness surges.

Nurses and respiratory therapists naturally collaborate. At Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, we are proud of the ways our registered nurses (RNs) and respiratory therapists (RTs) are partnering to improve care for children.

“At Stanford Children’s, respiratory therapists and nurses are well aligned. We collaborate on education, patient care, operations, and nursing quality and safety to improve respiratory care outcomes,” said Carlos Malo, MBA, BSRC, RRT-NPS, Director of Respiratory Care.

“Overall, our collaboration increased the respiratory care support at Stanford Children’s, promoting nurses to work to their full scope of practice.”

Tayler Brown, Acute Care Nurse Educator

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and respiratory therapists in acute care settings had to partner more closely due to the overwhelming volume of patients with respiratory illnesses.

Noticing that his team was challenged by the demand, Carlos proposed a solution for deeper support from nurses. He teamed up with clinical nurse specialists and educators to create a seasonal respiratory training for nurses. The class strengthens RN abilities to

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care for children with respiratory illnesses, reinforcing practical skills such as suctioning and performing respiratory assessments, in addition to training RNs on new respiratory equipment. Now, when there’s a respiratory illness surge, nurses are better prepared to collaborate more closely with respiratory therapists to ensure comprehensive patient care. This teamwork enables respiratory therapists to focus on critical care patients while nurses address the respiratory care needs of lower acuity patients. “It’s like phone a friend,” Carlos said.

A close partnership exists between clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators, and respiratory therapy educators in all care areas of the hospital.

“Together, we created mock codes and simulations and coordinated successful trainings for staf members. Overall, our collaboration increased the respiratory care support at Stanford Children’s, promoting nurses to work to their full scope of practice,” said Tayler Brown, MSN, RN, CPN, Acute Care Nurse Educator.

The respiratory therapy team stays well connected to nursing educators in all care areas of the hospital to ensure that education is aligned. Respiratory therapy leaders also work closely with nursing quality teams to investigate safety events. The RT+RN collaboration at Stanford Children’s demonstrates that teamwork improves care pathways for respiratory patients and empowers nurses to act more autonomously.

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

Acute Care Units Sharply Reduce CLABSI Rates Through interdisciplinary teamwork, proven methods, and determination, nurses on PCU 300 and 400 help make CLABSI-free days the norm.

Central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a public health concern that afects every hospital in the world.

CLABSIs can result in severe illness and longer hospital stays, and are especially dangerous for vulnerable children, newborns, and premature babies.

Implementing new methods and making them standard of care on both units became a main focus for nurse educators and nursing teams on both day and night shifts. Nurses also partnered with parent mentors to talk with families about hand hygiene.

“Physicians, clinical nurses, clinical nurse specialists, infection prevention control providers, quality improvement advisers, and parent liaisons all worked together to identify interventions to target the problem and have a positive impact,” said Jennifer Pattison, BSN, RN-BC, Patient Care Manager for PCU 300, who helped create and lead the CLABSI-free work group with Kathleen Boyd, MD.

In 2025, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health engaged in a largescale efort to reduce CLABSI rates in two acute care areas— Patient Care Units (PCUs) 300 and 400. PCU 400 was already on a CLABSI-free streak, reaching a remarkable 891 days (nearly 2.5 years) CLABSI free. However, PCU 300 had a higher CLABSI rate than desired at the end of 2024—2.73 infections per 1,000 days.

Their hard work and focus paid of. In October 2025, PCU 300 celebrated 257 days CLABSI free, and a 75% rate reduction from fscal year 2024.

An interdisciplinary team was formed to create a plan for PCU 300 to reduce the number of CLABSIs and meet the Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) benchmark of 1.15 per 1,000 central line days.

Nurses on both units were praised for their eforts with recognition and fun gatherings after achieving CLABSI-free milestones. These celebrations reinforced new habits and built unity among the nursing teams.

The plan addressed hand hygiene, sterile barrier use during central line insertion, new dressing policies, and enhanced environmental cleaning.

Celebrating our CLABSI Free Teams

257 PCU 300

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days

891 PCU 400

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Helping Families and Staf Heal Through Honor Walks PICU nurses line the halls to honor families’ decisions to donate their child’s organs after death, creating space for grief, gratitude, and healing.

Making the decision as parents to donate organs after their child dies is incredibly selfess and generous, and that decision—and the gravity of it—should be acknowledged. That’s the idea behind Honor Walks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

For the last few years, PICU nurses have been organizing Honor Walks, which allow family and staf time to pay respects for the child and recognize the family’s lifegiving donation. Two nurses have taken the lead on Honor Walks—Samantha Zakalowski, RN, PICU, Clinical Nurse (CN) IV, and Chloe Sullivan, RN, NICU, CN IV.

When the two learn that a family has chosen to donate their child’s organs, they ask the family if they would like an Honor Walk, then work closely with Donor Network West to establish the day and time of donation. When the day arrives, the family participates in memory making—picking out an outft for the child to wear, choosing a special song for the walk, and providing any last words/prayer they would like the staf to share. Memory making can also involve taking pictures or participating in a family’s special ritual, like a bath or baptism.

Prior to the walk, the lead nurse sends out a text to all staf within PICU, Child Life and Creative Arts, Social Services, Spiritual Care and Chaplain Services, and the nearby Patient Care Unit 400 to alert them to come line the halls at the set time.

Recently, Samantha organized an Honor Walk for a child with brain death. She had helped the family make the baby’s crib special with blankets, pictures, a name sign, and lights. She ofered the family to give a fnal hug and kiss and last words. When they were done with their goodbyes, she wrapped the parents in blankets and they set of for the walk down the hall together, wheeling the crib toward the operating room where the donation would occur. Tears, smiles, and words of comfort were shared by staf along the way.

“I reminded the family how strong they were for their selfess decision,” Samantha said. “Honor walks are always beautiful, peaceful, and sad, but as they are called, it is truly an honor to be a part of the miracle that takes place with organ donation.”

Honor walks are just one way Stanford Children’s nurses go above and beyond to provide family-centered care, with the hopes that they create a lasting, meaningful memory for families.

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Nursing Annual Report 2025

New Knowledge and Innovation Advanced Practice Providers Champion New Tech to Strengthen Patient Connections Innovative AI-powered listening technology frees providers from the task of taking clinic notes, increasing quality time with patients.

While documenting clinic visits is essential for safe and quality care, it does require attention, pulling focus away from patients. If only every provider had an assistant at their side, unobtrusively taking notes. Cue DAX Copilot, a new AI-powered ambient listening technology that is available across Stanford Medicine Children’s Health for doctors and advanced practice providers (APPs).

With the patient’s consent, DAX Copilot listens to the clinic visit, discerning chitchat from medical talk. It creates a detailed note, giving providers peace of mind and saving them the task of completing several patient notes at the end of each day.

The DAX Copilot steering committee recruited 40 APP champions to be part of the frst wave of users and to help educate teams on the technology. By reducing the burden of documenting, providers can increase clinic visits. stanfordchildrens.org

“In my surgery clinic, our providers can now see four more patients a day,” said Carrie Chan, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC, MPH, who helped lead the DAX pilot program and the rollout.

DAX helps decrease provider burnout and stress. Having a note completed in a timely manner also increases patient safety. Patients like having their provider’s full attention and receiving a thorough summary of their visit.

“DAX Copilot helps APPs work at the top of their scope by increasing the independent work they can do.”

Carrie Chan, APP Manager for Surgical Services

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Growing Access to Pediatric Bladder Health Education Nurse practitioners expand their eforts to provide equitable and efective bladder health education with multilingual digital videos for patients and the greater community.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) in outpatient Pediatric Urology clinics at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health noticed a theme in their daily work—families were desperate for bladder health education and practical guidance to manage their children’s symptoms.

The team took action by creating an award-winning Bladder Bootcamp program in 2022—a class for patient families led by Denise Stines, BSN, MSN, NP, and Cathy Costaglio, BSN, MSN, NP. The bootcamp has been highly efective, reaching nearly 1,500 families over three years and increasing their knowledge of bladder health by nearly 27%. It also reduced specialty care appointment wait times from approximately six months to one month.

However, Stanford Children’s urology NPs had a much bigger vision —to create bladder health videos for families beyond their practice, reaching nationwide to empower parents everywhere to improve their children’s health.

of Auxiliaries for Children Endowment, awarded the team $5,000 to carry out the expansion from 2025 to 2026.

“We are proud to support these eforts in breaking down language barriers and broadening the reach of this invaluable program,” said leaders of the Heart of Nursing Board.

This project, along with similar patient education projects like the gastrostomy tube home care videos developed by gastroenterology and surgical nurses (see related story on page 30), exemplifes the hospital’s commitment to providing whole family care and caring for the community.

Creation of Bladder Basics was coordinated by Stanford Medicine’s Kan Lab and Educational Technology. https://med.stanford.edu/bladder-basics.html.

In 2024, Bladder Basics was born, providing a series of evidencebased, engaging, child-friendly, self-paced bladder health videos that address common concerns like bedwetting and daytime accidents.

During pilot testing, Bladder Basics successfully improved children’s symptoms and parent knowledge. The videos help reduce delays in care, improve symptoms, prevent complications, and support healthy bladder habits.

In 2025, outpatient urology NPs sought funding through the Stanford Children’s Heart of Nursing Award to re-create the video series in Spanish. The Heart of Nursing Award, sponsored by the Association

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Videos teach healthy bladder habits

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Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Empowering Parents With G-Tube Education Videos In collaboration with gastroenterology and surgery teams, the Ofce of Patient/Family Education & Health Literacy created a series of educational videos to support parents.

Having a child who requires feeding through a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) can be daunting for parents. G-tubes require strict cleaning, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Nurses at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health gastroenterology clinics learned that some parents don’t feel comfortable changing G-tubes at home and instead come to the clinic to have it done.

is a step-by-step tutorial where users can follow along and do the task simultaneously,” said Jennifer Romero, DNP, MSN, CNS, PHN, RN.

“We wanted to fip that narrative and give parents the tools they needed to feel comfortable caring for G-tubes at home,” said Jenny Shafer, DNP, CNS, ACCNS-P, Manager of the Ofce of Patient/ Family Education & Health Literacy.

By collaborating with diferent care teams and families of children with G-tubes, the group was able to create a usable, accessible tool with far-reaching impact. The videos were uploaded to YouTube, giving access to not only Stanford Children’s parents but families everywhere, helping to improve the health of the greater community.

A G-tube education project team was formed, bringing together inpatient and outpatient nurses and providers to determine education standards, and holding a summit with parents to identify their greatest needs. The group received a grant from the Association of Auxiliaries for Children (AAC) to produce a series of videos on common tasks for G-tube management.

“When I presented the videos to the larger gastroenterology team, they were absolutely shocked at the enormity of the project and felt it was a very useful tool,” said Nurse Practitioner Kelly Neale Zozos, RN, CPNP.

“It’s really exciting to not only have created the videos, but to have built set standards on G-tube education for Stanford Children’s,” Dr. Shafer said.

With input from various stakeholders, the group created 15 animated, engaging “Tube Talk” videos and simplifed G-tube care handouts.

The videos met the desire of parents to have easy-to-understand education from a trusted source.

Topics range from basic care such as cleaning, managing leaking, and G-tube extraction to the more complex task of changing G-tubes. “It Video production team

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The “Tube Talk” G-tube education video series is available on YouTube, ensuring access to quality health education for families everywhere.

English: https://bit.ly/G-TubeVideos Spanish: https://stanmed.ch/ GtubevideoSPA

Caring With Open Hearts, Hands, and Minds

Research and EBP Fellowships The Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Fellowships support nurses in developing and conducting clinically focused research or an EBP project. Fellows were mentored by a nurse scientist and explored a variety of topics, including considerations for heart transplant candidacy.

2025 Research Fellows Jenna Murray, MSN, MPH, RN, CPNP-AC, Cardiology Laurel Kent, MSN, RN, FNP, Bass Center Amelia Sperber, DNP, RN, CNS, CPNP-PC, Neuro PICU Rebecca Patey, BSN, RN, RNCNIC, NICU Jocelyn Lazaro, MSN, RN, CNL, CPN, PCU300

2025 EBP Fellow Madison Courtad, RN, BSN, Labor & Delivery

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Shared Governance Bedside Nurses Conduct a Research Study Shared Governance Council representatives carry out an extensive workplace wellness study to explore bedside nurse perceptions and identify barriers.

Ensuring that nurses feel like they have a voice and a sense of belonging within nursing and interdisciplinary teams helps defne a healthy work environment and avoid nurse burnout, according to preliminary fndings from an extensive study at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

In 2024, two nurses on the Research and EvidenceBased Practice (REBP) Shared Governance Council, Rebecca Patey, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, and Jocelyn Lazaro, MSN, RN, CNL, received a Research Fellowship (see the sidebar at left) to complete a mixed-methods study on what defnes a healthy work environment. Rebecca and Jocelyn have been acting as principal investigators on the two-year project. “The research team secured Stanford Nurse Alumnae Legacy Grant funding, obtained IRB approval, and are carrying out the research, including analysis and writing a manuscript for publication,” said their fellowship mentor, Kimberly Pyke-Grimm, PhD, RN, CNS, CPHON, nurse scientist/sponsor of nursing research, along with Marina Magalhães, PhD, RN. The study helps highlight perceptions of clinical nurses on what makes a healthy work environment.

Researchers will make recommendations moving forward to address the study’s key early fndings

of nurses desiring inclusion in clinical decisionmaking, open and clear communication, and mutual recognition among interdisciplinary teams.

“When nurses have a say in decision-making about their practice, it helps create a dynamic work environment,” Dr. Pyke-Grimm said.

The healthy work environment study involved a survey, the American Association of CriticalCare Nurses (AACN) 24-item Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT), and focus groups with frontline nurses representing numerous patient care areas. Forty-seven nurses participated, giving input on topics including communication, collaboration, decisionmaking, stafng, recognition, and leadership.

“Jocelyn and I felt honored to hear the perspective of nurses from all specialty areas. They highlighted how much they value collaborating and communicating efectively with the interdisciplinary team, understanding and thinking critically about the care they provide and doing the best by their patients,” said Rebecca.

The study will act as a road map for the future on how to maintain a satisfying work environment for nurses at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. stanfordchildrens.org

Nursing Annual Report 2025

Outstanding With Literature Awards The Outstanding With Literature (OWL) Award recognizes Stanford Children’s nurses and advanced practice providers who have published their research and evidence-based practice in a book or peer-reviewed journal or presented at a local or national conference.

Total Recipients: 102

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APPs (NP, PA)

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27 Posters

18

56 Publications

Clinical Nurses

3

Nurse Scientists

12

Managers, Directors, Executives

34 Podiums

Nurse Educators and Specialists*

*Nurse Specialists: Nursing Professional Development Specialists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Clinical Practice Quality Specialists, Quality Improvement Specialists.

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We would like to thank all of our donors and interprofessional team members for supporting nursing professional practice.

For any questions and comments, please contact: CPEI@stanfordchildrens.org M053529 | 03/2026