Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Catherine Crawford RN

May 1, 2012 By 1 Comment
Cathy

We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first women only surgical center in Southern Arizona – The Joel M. Childers Women’s Surgical Center. The center focuses on delivering gentle, specialized care for women undergoing surgery. Take a moment to meet Catherine, part of the dedicated staff caring for our community’s women. 

 Where are you from?
I was born in San Diego and moved to Tucson in 1969.

What do you love about Tucson?
I love the smell of the desert after the summer rains. The people in Tucson are so nice and even though it has grown it still has the feel of a small town.

When you’re not at work, what do you do for fun?
I love to sing. I am involved in my Church choir and I sing on the Praise Team. I also love to go biking with my husband and friends.  I am blessed with  wonderful peeps and enjoy going to dinner with them and our husbands on Friday nights. I love to travel and see my son perform professionally in Musical Theater Productions in New York and throughout the country.

What is the best aspect of your job?
I love working in women’s surgery. We work as a team and support each other in giving our patients safe care.  I feel it is such a priviledge to be a Nurse and to provide our patients with the care and respect they deserve.

What would you like women to know about the center?
When you are scheduled on our unit for surgery  all of the staff makes it a priority to give you safe care and to meet your needs. Our staff prides themselves in making each patient feel like they are the only patient we are caring for. It is the best place in Tucson to have any kind of women’s surgery.

I feel it is so important to educate women on the importance of getting yearly gynecological exams.  There is so much health information we can obtain from our gynecologists at our yearly appointments. I know there is some fear associated with these appointments because of the unknown but if we can educate women at a earlier age regarding what happens at these exams I know there are some diagnosis we can diagnose earlier and even some we can prevent.  Education is the key when it comes to Women’s Health Issues.

Filed Under: Hello, It's Nice to Meet You, Women's Surgery Tagged With: , ,

Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Denise Murphy RN

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Denise
This year we celebrate the 25 anniversary of our dedicated women’s surgery unit, The Joel M. Childers Women’s Surgical Center, the first of its kind in Southern Arizona. Denise Murphy is part of the surgical staff dedicated to providing a safe, private and caring environment for women undergoing surgery.
Where are you from? Tucson native or not? How long have you been in Tucson?
I was born and raised here in Tucson.  I attended Flowing Wells HS and attended nursing school at PCC.
What do you love about Tucson?
I love the desert weather and landscape.  My favorite time of year is monsoon season.  I always love the way the desert smells after a good rain.
What do you do for fun?
Most of my family lives here in Tucson.  I enjoy getting together with family and friends regularly. (family dinners, playing bunko etc.)  I also have three children and most of our weekend activities are centered around what they have going on.
What do you love about your job?
I started working in the Women’s Surgical Center back in 2000.  What I love most is that our staff is like a family.  We enjoy coming to work each day and we care about each other.  This translates into the care we deliver to our patients.  I also love the fact that what we do makes a difference to someone each day.  We operate on people everyday and for us it is second nature, but for someone who has never had surgery before this may be the scariest day of their life.  I take pride in the fact that I can help them through that.
What would you like women to know about the center?
Because of the nature of the surgeries performed in our department, our staff focuses on maintaining privacy for our women and delivering a more intimate level of care.

In regards to women’s health, it is important for us as women to educate ourselves about our bodies. Also, as a mother, we need to educate our children about their bodies and encourage them to ask questions. As we get older, it is important to go to your doctor for regular gynecological  exams and continue getting preventative care.  We know our bodies better than anyone, if you notice a change, do not hesitate to follow-up with your doctor.

What would you tell your 18-year-old self, 25-year-old self, 35-year-old self?
18-year-old self – I was starting college at this time.  I would tell myself to keep going to school, but to slow down and enjoy your youth a little more.

25-year-old self – I was married and was about to have my first child at this age.  I would tell myself to have a little more confidence in who I was.  Not to be so concerned with what I thought others were thinking.

35-year-old self – By this age, I had three children and had been an RN for 11 years.  I have actually enjoyed my 30s.  It is about finding peace with who you are and how you choose to live your life.  Using that confidence you wish you had in your 20s.  I would say – good for you!

Check out some of our other staff spotlights here. 

Filed Under: Hello, It's Nice to Meet You, Reproductive Health and Infertility Tagged With: , ,

Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Chris Beier RN

April 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Women's Surg

A warm smile, gentle care, and sincere compassion is what Chris Beier R.N. is dedicated to providing each of her patients at the Joel M.Childers MD Women’s Surgical Center. Chris is part of the all female nursing staff that provides the sense of privacy, gentle care and confidentiality that are the crucial underpinnings of a center created specifically to serve women’s needs. This year is the 25th Anniversary of the Joel M.Childers M.D. Women’s Surgical Center, the first dedicated space for women’s surgery in Tucson.

Meet Chris.

Where are you from? Tucson native or not? How long have you been in Tucson?
I am a Tucson Native and have lived here for 26 years

What do you love about Tucson?
I love the Mountains that surround us and the beautiful sunny weather. I personally like the fact that we do not have an elaborate freeway system like Phoenix. That’s what gives Tucson a small town feel to me. I am also a proud University of Arizona College of Nursing graduate. The U of A gives Tucson an identity and attracts many people from all over the world to come to our beautiful sunny campus and town.

What do you do for fun?
I enjoy exercising outdoors, country music concerts, and going to any U of A sporting events!

What do you love about your job?
I truly love working with women of all ages. Women’s surgery at TMC is such a unique unit and each staff member here can truly relate to our patient’s sentiments about their gynecological issues and surgical interventions that they may receive. The team here at Women’s Surgery strives to provide each surgical patient with a warm smile, gentle care, and sincere compassion.

What would you like women to know about the center?
At TMC Women’s Surgery you are not just another surgical patient. You are a strong courageous woman with an identity to us. We realize that female surgery is never something any woman wants to do, but when certain female conditions affect our day to day operation we often find ourselves vulnerable and fearful of how our bodies will react to surgery.  The best thing about TMC Women’s surgery is that we can all relate to your sentiments, and give you peace of mind about what to expect before, during, and after surgery. We make it a point to call every patient the next day to make sure they are doing well and answer any questions or concerns they might have. As a patient in women’s surgery you will never feel alone. Our all female nursing staff will protect your privacy and provide you with one on one nursing care until you are awake and physically stable. We will walk you through the surgical experience step by step and never leave your side.

What area of women’s surgical procedures are you most excited about?
I am particularly interested in diagnostic laparoscopy for infertility. I want women to know that it is minimally invasive and can provide you and your physician with valuable information to help figure out why you may be struggling with infertility. The recovery time can vary from 4-7 days depending on your body.

 What would you tell your 18 year old self, 25 year old self, 35 year old self?
I would tell my 18 year old self that routine gynecological exams are very important as I head into young adult hood and college.  If something does come up that is abnormal with my routine screening, women’s surgery can provide a safe effective out- patient surgical procedure to address the issue.

I would tell my 25 year old self to not fear laparoscopy or miscarriages because they are often common at this age and you will be surrounded by female nurses that can relate to what you are feeling and going through.

I’m not 35 yet but if I were I would tell myself that heavy painful periods can be safely resolved by getting an endometrial ablation but only if you are finished having children.

Filed Under: Hello, It's Nice to Meet You, Reproductive Health and Infertility Tagged With: , ,

Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Karen Narum

March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Karen Narum of TMC's Women's Health Breast Clinic

Karen Narum of TMC's Women's Health Breast Center

Karen Narum is part of the wonderful team at TMC for Women Breast Center. Karen and the team at the Center use full-field digital mammography system as well as ultrasound and minimally invasive stereotactic biopsies. There are even on-site pathologists ensure quick delivery of test results. Meet Karen.

Where are you from? Tucson native or not? How long have you been in Tucson?
I am a Tucson Native.  Actually, I lived in a small mining town just west of Marana named Silverbell.  It is now a ghost town but was a great place to be a kid!

What do you love about Tucson?
I think I love the people of Tucson the most.  No matter where I go I always seem to run into someone I know.  You can look people in the eye and smile and get a smile back.  Of course I love the sunsets and the mountains as well.

What do you do for fun?
Our family fun is usually centered around whatever my boys are doing, water skiing, racing…I also love to curl up with a good book.

What do you love about your job?
I am so fortunate to work with a wonderful group of women who are passionate about everything they do!  I enjoy the interactions with our patients.  I feel blessed that my position with TMC allows me time to educate, listen and guide patients through what is often a scary time for them and their families.

What do you want all women to know about breast health? About the center?
The greatest risk factor for acquiring breast cancer is having breasts.  The majority of women who are diagnosed have no family history.  That said, PLEASE continue to get regular  screening mammograms.  Researchers continue to work on other options, but at this point in time, mammography is still our best tool for early detection.   I think the TMC Breast Center is a bit of a hidden gem.  We are a small group of ladies that have worked in the field  for many years.  I love it when patients tell us we fell like a family, because that is exactly what we are.  It’s not uncommon to see and /or receive hugs!  It’s really simple, we treat patients the way we would want and expected to be treated.

 What would you tell your 18 year old self, 25 year old self, 35 year old self?
Hmm… this one was hard.  I would tell my 18 year old self to enjoy, time goes by way too fast, don’t be afraid to indulge in the little adventures that may come your way.    At 25 I had a baby at home, how badly I wish I would have kept a journal to help preserve the details of all those precious moments that I thought I’d never forget.  At 35 I was on the verge of being the mother of teenage boys…listen carefully, the house will never, ever be as clean as you think it should be quit wasting your time!

Filed Under: Breast Health, Hello, It's Nice to Meet You Tagged With: , , ,

Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Denise Navarrete

February 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Denise Navarrete

Denise Navarrete is part of the wonderful team at TMC for Women Breast Center. Denise and the team at the Center use full-field digital mammography system as well as ultrasound and minimally invasive stereotactic biopsies. There are even on-site pathologists ensure quick delivery of test results. Meet Denise.

Where are you from? Tucson native or not? How long have you been in Tucson?
I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana and I’ve lived in Tucson since 1972

What do you love about Tucson?
I love the weather, October and March are my favorite months, also the small town feel that Tucson still has.

What do you do for fun?
I like walk, read, and go to yard sales.

What do you love about your job?
The best part of my job, is my patients. I enjoy meeting them, and helping them get an important screening exam. We also have a great group here at the clinic, and we all work well as a team.

What do you want all women to know about breast health? About the TMC Breast Center?
All women should be screened age 40 and on. The two most important risk factors are being a woman, and age. As we get older, our risk for breast cancer increase.
Our breast center is comprehensive and we have experienced and knowledgeable technologists, radiologist and a nurse practitioner who also acts as our navigator.

What would you tell your 18 year old self, 25 year old self, 35 year old self?
18 year old self: -slow down, enjoy life.
25 year old self: -my parents actually gave me good advice
35 year old self: -take care of your health, watch what you eat and exercise

Check out our recent blog posts on mammograms, breast self-examinations and our Women’s Voices.

Filed Under: Breast Health, Hello, It's Nice to Meet You Tagged With: , ,

Hello, It’s Nice to Meet You – Julie Ward RN

February 2, 2012 By 2 Comments
Julie Ward

Ask most women what their greatest health fear is and more than likely the response will be cancer, maybe even specifically – breast cancer. Cancer is a health concern but, it is heart disease that claims more women each year than all other cancers combined. Unfortunately, because of a lack of awareness of women’s heart health risks many of us ignore the warning signs of a heart problem.

Julie Ward, our Chest Pain Coordinator at TMC, meets many women who find out just how real the risk is for women. Julie follows our STEMI (patients actively having a heart attack) times and ensure we have processes in place to attain the goal of  less than 90 minutes (TMC is currently at 65 minutes). She tracks patients who have had heart attacks and is actively raising awareness of ways to prevent heart disease via heart disease prevention lectures within our community.

Julie, are you from Tucson or did you move here from elsewhere?
I am from Wisconsin and have been in Tucson for 10 years and prior to that I lived in Scottsdale for 5 years.

What do you do for fun?
I have a 10 year old daughter and we fill our weekends with activities from mountain biking to shopping to playing Dance Party on the Wii.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I have worked as an RN for 19 years and have worked in many roles which have included working in the ER and trauma. I like having the opportunity to meet with patients and their families and discussing what they can do to have improved heart heath. I love giving heart disease prevention lectures to the public. I am surprised by the lack of knowledge that the public has, especially women.

What do you love about Tucson?
Tucson has so many outdoor activity possibilities. I have discovered hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. There is something to do everyday. Weather is usually not a barrier.

What do you want all women to know about heart health?
As a working mom, I have a hard time giving myself permission to take 30 minutes every day to dedicate to myself to exercise. Somehow I feel guilty about not being there for my family 100% after work. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women and if we do not allow ourselves the time to take care of our own heart health, we risk not being around for our children. We also owe it to our children to see that every step taken towards our health, leads to a better and healthier future.

On a personal note, around 5 years ago, my mom was at a dance in Green Valley and suffered Sudden Cardiac Death. Fortunately, there was an AED immediately available and she was able to be resuscitated after multiple rounds of defibrillation. Today, she is alive and has no residual effects of the code arrest. If not for the quick actions and the knowledge of the recreation center staff, my mom would not be here today. My daughter would have lost someone who is such an important part of her life.

What would you tell your 18 year old self, 25 year old self, 35 year old self?
At 18: I wish I would have known to have confidence. At 18 I didn’t really know anything about whom I was or who I could potentially be.

At 25: I wish I could tell my 25 year old self that I could push harder and become a doctor. I love being a nurse but have always wanted to go back to medical school. At 25 I felt I would be too old when I graduated—who knew! I would also tell my 25 year old self that being naturally thin would end and I needed to take exercise routines and eating healthy more seriously

At 35: My 35 year old self needed to know that, emotionally, the best is yet to come. As women, we just get better with age. It is truly amazing. My 35 year old self started putting on weight and it has fluctuated through the years. I wish I could go back and force myself to train for the marathon I thought about so often but never acted upon.

TMC has been selected among the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Thomson Reuters for 2011 – the only hospital listed from Southern Arizona

Filed Under: Heart Health, Hello, It's Nice to Meet You Tagged With: , , ,
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