Joan Albert has the best of both worlds: being a Mercy nurse, and caring for kids and their families.
After 21 years, working as a pediatrics nurse still keeps her on her toes and allows her to nurture families who need a hand in helping their children heal.
A Cedar Rapids native, Albert's ties to Mercy go way back: At 15, she worked as a nurse's aide. She eventually graduated from St. Luke's Methodist School of Nursing, and then worked in neonatal intensive care units at the University of Iowa and in Columbia, S.C. When she returned to Iowa, she worked in UIHC's bronchopulmonary dysplasia unit for infants, and pediatrics ICU.
Maybe it's in her blood to be at Mercy once again; two of her sisters also work as Mercy nurses. It's definitely a different climate. There's more personal touch," Albert says. "I've worked places where people are numbers. Here, you can say a child's first name and you know who they are. There's greater continuity of care."
For Albert, 43, the draw of pediatrics is its variety. She deals with all kinds of ailments, from respiratory to post-operative care to orthopaedics.
"You don't get stagnant," she says. "You have to be able to float between all areas. You never stop learning."
It keeps the staff especially close, she said, "like a big family."
Besides, she adds, "Where else are you allowed to be silly? You can be yourself. You can play Nintendo and do ICU work. With kids, you have to know the popular characters and games -- what they like so you can relate to them.
Albert also enjoys helping parents learn to cope with their child's illness. That connection can be the most rewarding part of her work, but also the hardest when the child is terminally ill.
"You're caring for the child, but also for the family, so you get involved in all aspects," she notes.
Outside of work, Albert participates in Mercy-sponsored programs for kids that teach safety, a camp for children with diabetes, and she's a pediatrics advanced life support (PALS) instructor for hospital staff.
She's now working on her Master's degree in health service administration. But she has her eye on one more goal: "Master gardner!"
