Barbara Britt's Retirement Fund
Donation protected
Barbara Britt is retiring from years of service as a pediatric hematology-oncology nurse, and we want to support her! Barb has been a nurse for 45 years, served CHLA for 35 years, and has been Camp nurse at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times for 34 years!
From the time Barb was seven years old, she always knew she'd be a nurse. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from CSULA in 1971, aiming to be the epitome of the modern Florence Nightingale or at the very least her favorite fictional nurse of childhood, Sue Barton. She looks back on her first job, caring for adult and pediatric meningitis patients on the Communicable Disease unit at LAC-USC Medical Center, as her nursing “basic training.” She says those days that taught her how important it is for every nurse to spend some part of their career at the bedside on an inpatient unit with other nurses who all rely on each other to provide excellent clinical care.
In 1972, an opportunity came for her to move to a position that was straight day shifts with weekends and holidays off, the holy grail of nursing positions! So Barbara became Nursing Care Coordinator for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at LAC/USC Medical Center despite the fact that she had never cared for a child with leukemia. Once Barbara figured out that she could "stick" to this field where children she loved died more times than not, she dug in and never let go, spending nine years in this role. Her knowledge grew with every patient and family encounter. Working side by side with her work partner Bob Miller, PA, she was among the first RNs ever to administer IV push chemotherapy. Her long time needle phobia gave way to the desire to start IVs safe enough to handle chemotherapy drugs without causing the child further harm.
By the time a new nursing care specialist position opened up in 1981 in the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, she was indeed the expert she hadn't been nine years earlier! She was hired by Dr. Stuart Siegel in what would become the beginning of years of collaborative practice and a focus on her love of working directly with families. In her first year at CHLA, Barb also completed the Master's in Nursing program at CSULA. In 1992 Barb moved from her general oncology role to specialize in the care of children with tumors of the central nervous system. She says this role was her greatest professional challenge as well as the source of her greatest professional and personal rewards. Because of the poor prognosis for certain brain tumors in children, these were hard days. But there were also great successes. Barb recalls a remarkable period of time working with a team of professionals led by Dr. Jonathan Finlay who trusted that each discipline would bring nothing but their best for the families in their care. Barb also is grateful for what she describes as “one of the best collaborations ever” with the parent-founded group We Can, a support program to help families of children with brain tumors.
Barb volunteered countless hours for nursing professional organizations. She became a charter member of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses when it started, and was a founding member of the Oncology Forum – the forerunner of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. From being elected Chapter president, she moved up through ONS until in 1989 she was elected national president. Involvement in the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care followed her completion of ONS presidency.
Finally, and most significantly for her, Barbara has been involved with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times since its inception in 1982. She has donated at least 34 years of vacation time each summer to attend one of the week-long sessions as the camp nurse, and has spent innumerable weekends at family camps and camper camps during long weekends in the winter. She also volunteers with We Can as a camp nurse at their regular family camps in both English and Spanish, and also at their camp for bereaved families.
Barb says that although she will be retiring from the role of nurse care manager of the NeuroOncology team, she has forged lasting bonds with families that are meaningful and unforgettable. Indeed, she says that she has experienced first-hand the change in pediatric hem-onc from a group of cancer diagnoses that almost always ended in the death of the child to one of medicine's most extraordinary success stories. One of her strongest retirement wishes is to write the many stories she's accumulated through the years. Barb is happiest in the middle of a family camp carnival of her own creation, whether in the middle of a family manicure table or tossing dog treats to land in random pieces of glassware, or bird feeders out of pinecones and peanut butter. We wish her godspeed and and lots of opportunities to enjoy herself after completing a remarkable professional career!
From the time Barb was seven years old, she always knew she'd be a nurse. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from CSULA in 1971, aiming to be the epitome of the modern Florence Nightingale or at the very least her favorite fictional nurse of childhood, Sue Barton. She looks back on her first job, caring for adult and pediatric meningitis patients on the Communicable Disease unit at LAC-USC Medical Center, as her nursing “basic training.” She says those days that taught her how important it is for every nurse to spend some part of their career at the bedside on an inpatient unit with other nurses who all rely on each other to provide excellent clinical care.
In 1972, an opportunity came for her to move to a position that was straight day shifts with weekends and holidays off, the holy grail of nursing positions! So Barbara became Nursing Care Coordinator for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at LAC/USC Medical Center despite the fact that she had never cared for a child with leukemia. Once Barbara figured out that she could "stick" to this field where children she loved died more times than not, she dug in and never let go, spending nine years in this role. Her knowledge grew with every patient and family encounter. Working side by side with her work partner Bob Miller, PA, she was among the first RNs ever to administer IV push chemotherapy. Her long time needle phobia gave way to the desire to start IVs safe enough to handle chemotherapy drugs without causing the child further harm.
By the time a new nursing care specialist position opened up in 1981 in the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, she was indeed the expert she hadn't been nine years earlier! She was hired by Dr. Stuart Siegel in what would become the beginning of years of collaborative practice and a focus on her love of working directly with families. In her first year at CHLA, Barb also completed the Master's in Nursing program at CSULA. In 1992 Barb moved from her general oncology role to specialize in the care of children with tumors of the central nervous system. She says this role was her greatest professional challenge as well as the source of her greatest professional and personal rewards. Because of the poor prognosis for certain brain tumors in children, these were hard days. But there were also great successes. Barb recalls a remarkable period of time working with a team of professionals led by Dr. Jonathan Finlay who trusted that each discipline would bring nothing but their best for the families in their care. Barb also is grateful for what she describes as “one of the best collaborations ever” with the parent-founded group We Can, a support program to help families of children with brain tumors.
Barb volunteered countless hours for nursing professional organizations. She became a charter member of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses when it started, and was a founding member of the Oncology Forum – the forerunner of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. From being elected Chapter president, she moved up through ONS until in 1989 she was elected national president. Involvement in the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care followed her completion of ONS presidency.
Finally, and most significantly for her, Barbara has been involved with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times since its inception in 1982. She has donated at least 34 years of vacation time each summer to attend one of the week-long sessions as the camp nurse, and has spent innumerable weekends at family camps and camper camps during long weekends in the winter. She also volunteers with We Can as a camp nurse at their regular family camps in both English and Spanish, and also at their camp for bereaved families.
Barb says that although she will be retiring from the role of nurse care manager of the NeuroOncology team, she has forged lasting bonds with families that are meaningful and unforgettable. Indeed, she says that she has experienced first-hand the change in pediatric hem-onc from a group of cancer diagnoses that almost always ended in the death of the child to one of medicine's most extraordinary success stories. One of her strongest retirement wishes is to write the many stories she's accumulated through the years. Barb is happiest in the middle of a family camp carnival of her own creation, whether in the middle of a family manicure table or tossing dog treats to land in random pieces of glassware, or bird feeders out of pinecones and peanut butter. We wish her godspeed and and lots of opportunities to enjoy herself after completing a remarkable professional career!
Organizer
Joyce Derrickson
Organizer
Glendale, CA
