Bailey Krais always wanted to work in the NICU. Baylor Scott & White’s culture of collaboration and advanced nursing training helped make it happen.
When Bailey Krais, RN, goes to work in the neonatal intensive care unit at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC), she provides care to some of the smallest patients in Texas—some born at just 22 weeks gestation. In Bailey’s hands is a tiny patient and an immense responsibility, one she considers a deep and sacred privilege.
It’s here where she feels most at home in her career—empowered to do her job while learning more every day about how to be even better. Bailey attributes this to the culture of Baylor Scott & White Health, where she feels all team members prioritize the patient and their care.
“Everyone has the same goal here, to do what’s best for the patient,” Bailey explained of the atmosphere at BUMC. “Physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers—everyone here is open for discussions about the patient and their care. Nurses’ experience and opinions are valued here by everyone on the team.”
Bailey is one of more than 2,000 nurses at BUMC, which is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as having achieved Magnet® status, one of the most respected marks of nursing excellence. Studies have shown Magnet hospitals attract and retain top nursing talent; demonstrate improved patient safety, care and satisfaction; and enjoy improved efficiency and effectiveness on patient units—even increased safety for nurses while working. BUMC has received Magnet designation five times, a feat accomplished by less than 1% of U.S. hospitals. Karla Ramberger, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer of Baylor Scott & White Health, applauds the culture of cooperation that permeates every interaction.
“There is great respect and collaboration within the care team,” Karla said. “The physician respects the nurse, the nurse respects the physician, and we all work with many disciplines. Nurses are heard and expected to speak up.”
Helping to create and sustain our patient-centered culture, Karla explained, is that nurses serve in many roles across the System, in addition to patient care, such as education, guest relations, safety and administration. The System’s chief legal officer, Lisa Havens, and the president of Baylor Scott & White, Julie Creamer, are also nurses.
Advancing nursing excellence through philanthropy
Philanthropy plays a central role in Baylor Scott & White’s ability to attract and retain exceptional nurses. Through the Baylor Scott & White Nursing Institute, all Baylor Scott & White nurses are part of changing nursing for the better. Through four centers within the institute, nurses participate in growth opportunities for every stage of their career, professional development and practice, research and evidence-based practice and innovation and clinical excellence.
The Nursing Institute is made possible only by generous donors committed to advancing nursing excellence. Through this initiative, nurses are empowered to pursue advanced certifications, work at the top of their licensure, attend and speak at respected academic conferences, obtain additional educational degrees and more. The benefit for patients receiving care here is clear, Karla said. “Our patients experience quality care, supported by nurses with commitment, education and advanced knowledge.”
Dallas-based financial services company Hilltop Holdings is a prime example of the generous community donors whose support helps BUMC’s nurses reach their full potential. Earlier this year, Hilltop donated $100,000 to Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation, specifically earmarked to support the Advancing Nursing Excellence Scholarship program.
“Hilltop has long been a supporter of Baylor Scott & White, and we are proud to contribute to the education and training of our community’s frontline healthcare providers,” said Hilltop President and CEO Jeremy Ford. “Nurses play a central role in delivering quality medical care to our community, and their tireless efforts change lives every day. It is a privilege to support them and their work.”
Excellence at the bedside
Since finding her life’s work in the NICU, Bailey has pursued opportunities to achieve advanced licensing in the care of her tiniest patients. She has also conducted research that she presented at a National Association of Neonatal Nurses conference. This year, Bailey will serve on a panel of neonatal nursing experts at another professional conference and will continue her research while also serving as a clinical coach for other neonatal nurses. These are all opportunities she had not predicted she would one day pursue, and Bailey is appreciative and determined. “As bedside nurses here at BUMC, it’s encouraged within our unit to participate in clinical ladder projects, and that is something I’m interested in continuing,” Bailey said. The goal for dedicated nurses like Bailey is to use what they know and learn to transform the lives of patients and their families.
Keeping patients at the center of everything
When Sarah Tucker experienced what she remembers as the worst moment in her life—complications from her first child’s birth, which brought Sarah and her family to the Level IV neonatal ICU at BUMC, the highest level of advanced care for the sickest of babies—it was the nursing staff that she felt she could lean on.
“I would hear news that my son would likely be severely brain-damaged, and it was the nurses who picked me up,” Sarah remembered. Bailey provided care for Sarah’s son, Tuff, and emotional support to the family that Sarah remembers as her lifeline in her darkest days. “I would just sit there, sobbing, sick to my stomach, watching my son lay there with all these tubes and monitors attached to him. Bailey sat with me and prayed with me.”
Sarah also credits the excellent care she and her family received 24/7 from the nurses at the bedside, many of whom celebrated when Sarah delivered two more babies, both blessedly healthy, at BUMC. Today, Tuff is an energetic child who enjoys his role as big brother and loves being outside “on anything with wheels,” his mother said. “He’s bossy; he runs the pack, and he’s a perfect, fully functioning 5-year-old boy.”
The opportunity to provide excellent care draws committed professionals like Bailey and others to Baylor Scott & White, Karla said. At a place where treatments are pioneered, the sickest of the sick receive life-saving care and clinical teams are tasked with some of the most complex challenges in medicine today, “Our nursing staff is here for the challenge,” she said.
Support from generous donors is essential to equipping these driven nurses with the tools they need to advance care. If you would like to learn more about how philanthropy funds additional education and professional development for Baylor Scott & White nurses, please contact Lynn Bohne at Lynn.Bohne@BSWHealth.org or call 214.820.4070.
