By Matt Skoufalos
From a young age, Jennifer Bairos had always wanted to enter the nursing profession, and wanted to work with children. Growing up in East Providence, Rhode Island, the first place she considered was Hasbro Children’s Hospital in nearby Providence.
At 16, Bairos picked up a housekeeping job that took her through the intensive care units at Hasbro Children’s and at Rhode Island Hospital. She figured that doing so would be the best way to see how the hospital works from the inside, and observe different populations as she went.
Bairos continued working in healthcare part-time throughout her education as a full-time nursing student at Rhode Island College. She completed her clinical rounds at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and the experience there confirmed that she was in the right place.
“Once I got into Hasbro, I knew this was for me,” Bairos said. “I knew from working with the people and the way the floor ran [during clinicals] that I could picture myself here, and the patients and the families make it so much easier to make that decision as well.
“I worked up to information desk all throughout nursing school, and then applied [for a nursing position] as soon as I got my RN-BSN,” she said. “Everything has its sacrifice, and it’s definitely well worth it. I worked through it. I knew this was what I wanted, and this was my dream. I’ve been there ever since.”
Today, Bairos works on the medical-surgery floor at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where she sees “a little bit of everything,” from patients in surgery, respiratory therapy, and orthopedics. Most of all, she considers herself fortunate to be able to work with pediatric patients, who require a different type of focus and compassion, as well as managing their families’ concerns.
“It’s definitely not for the weak,” Bairos said. “It’s something that you have to be so strong. Families come in, and you’re taking care of their child, which is their whole life. They come at you, and they trust you.
“It means a lot as a nurse,” she said. “It’s focusing on the child, and listening to their parents as well. Any time a family is worried about their child, we’re worried as well. You have to be a strong person.”
In addition to being supported by a team of similarly dedicated professionals, Bairos said that she frequently finds her energy restored by the resilience of the children for which she cares. The same child who looks sick in the morning may seem fully reinvigorated by the end of the day, she said, and that capacity for recovery inspires her work.
“We see kids who come in for respiratory issues, orthopedics, surgery; we take care of pain management, respiratory status, courses of antibiotics,” she said. “We see a little bit of everything on my floor, and that’s why I love my floor.”
This year, Bairos was rewarded for her dedication to her patients with a Hasbro Children’s Hospital Brite Lite Award, a distinction offered when a patient family nominates their caregiver for special acknowledgment based on the quality of care they’ve received during their stay.
One photo of my nieces and nephew when I received my Hasbro Children’s Brite Lite Award.
From left to right their names are:
Vanessa Escobar, Jalissa Escobar, Carina Zorra, Jillian Escobar
And up front: my nephew Cameron Zorra
The family in this case was a father who was staying with his toddler at Hasbro Children’s for two days while his wife was at home with a newborn baby. Bairos became their nurse, worked with them for the duration of their stay at the facility, and provided the reassurance and bedside care that both needed to make it through the experience.
“His goal was to be home for Father’s Day, and he was,” Bairos said. “He said, ‘You made it happen for me. You advocated to the team, you reassured me that my child was going to be okay, and that I was going to be home for Father’s Day.’
“It was definitely touching,” she said. “I put my all into my job. I love my floor, I love my kiddos, and it’s so rewarding. It feels really special to be able to be nominated, to be a winner, and to hear a family talk to you and about you to win this award. They showed up at the ceremony, and it was really touching and really special.”
After 12 years working in the Lifespan Health System, Bairos said she appreciates that her colleagues place a comparable value on delivering a high quality of care for the children and families entrusted to them. That same attitude filters through to the way they care for one another in the workplace, whether it’s picking up another shift to offer a coworker some relief, or supporting the care they deliver to their patients.
“We’re all like a family there,” Bairos said. “If nurses need help, or are overwhelmed by certain things they need to complete, another nurse will help and step up. Whether it’s our charge nurse or our podmate, everyone really truly works together for the patient, and that’s what makes Hasbro so special. Everyone wants the same goal: for that patient to go home to their family.”
Bairos has contemplating pursuing her nurse practitioner degree, but is weighing the change in responsibilities that earning it would mean. If it takes her away from the bedside, she’d have to reckon with that.
“I love what I do, so I’ll hang tight for now,” she said.
On her days off, Bairos loves to visit the beach. Family is a key aspect of her life, and she enjoys being an involved aunt to her sisters and their children, supporting their interests and activities as well. Bairos and her boyfriend, Shawn Reis, are currently building a home together, and she’s eager to anticipate its completion. Bairos is also an avid cook, “and when I’m cooking, I love the music on,” she said; “that’s my therapy.”
One photo of my fiancé (Shawn Reis) and I as we were celebrating with our families breaking ground for our new home.
Her message to other nurses is “follow your dreams, big or small.
“Sacrifice through whatever you have to sacrifice through to get to where you want to be,” Bairos said. “Becoming a pediatric nurse, building a house; these were dreams. Whether it’s a trip or something small, work hard and go for it.”
Professional Spotlight Nomination
