Caring for America’s Littlest Heroes: Serving as a nurse Walter Reed Bethesda’s PICU

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES

05.10.2019

Story by Mark Oswell 

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Hannah Sasscer wasn’t raised in a military family, but was taught very early the importance of family, faith and country.

Born in Southern Maryland, and raised in Bethesda, Maryland. Sasscer was a competitive soccer player for both Walt Whitman High School and the Bethesda Soccer Club. She earned a full soccer scholarship to play for Providence College, Rhode Island. However, her collegiate soccer career was short lived.

“After preseason my freshman year, I suffered from a career-ending knee injury which brought me home to have my fourth knee surgery,” explained Sasscer. “Shortly after my recovery I decided to become a nurse.”

Sasscer transferred in her freshman year to the University of Maryland’s School of Nursing to be closer to home, and to continue pursuing her goal for a nursing career.

While attending nursing school, she worked part time as a nanny, where she cared for three children, one of whom had a rare genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome. “She is unable to walk or verbally communicate and she is the most amazing child I have ever met,” stated Sasscer. “The time I spent playing and caring for her inspired me to become a pediatric nurse.”

Upon graduating from nursing school in 2016, Sasscer wanted to work at Walter Reed Bethesda, but knew she needed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) experience. “I worked for two years in the Pediatric ICU at Medstar Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC,” she explained. “At the end of last year, I began searching for Pediatric ICU positions at Walter Reed Bethesda and on one lucky day, a position became available. I jumped at the opportunity and I am so thankful and blessed to be here.”

Working alongside three fellow nurses in WRB’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sasscer’s primary mission is to care for critically ill children, or as the back of her jacket states: “Serving Our Nation’s Littlest Heroes.”

“We treat the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our patients and their families by collaborating with multidisciplinary teams throughout Walter Reed,” Sasscer explained. “Our patient population includes surgical, hematology/oncology, ENT, and other critically ill patients requiring diligent vital signs and assessments, continuous infusion and invasive procedures,” she added.

“I love nursing,” Sasscer continued. “I enjoy coming to work every day and trying to make a difference in my patients’ and their families’ lives. My mother often asks me why I don't go back to school to become a doctor. My response is always the same. My favorite part of work is brushing the hair of my intubated patient or painting her nails. This is what we do as nurses…we care for the entire patient, and this is why I love my job.”

Sasscer summed up pediatric nursing with a quote from Dr. Arizona Robbins, a fictional pediatrician who appeared on the show Grey’s Anatomy: “This is not general surgery in miniature. These are the tiny humans. These are children. They believe in magic. They play pretend. There is fairy dust in their IV bags. They hope and they cross their fingers and they make wishes. And that’s what makes them more resilient than adults. They recover fast, survive worse, and believe. In Peds. we have miracles and magic. In Peds. anything is possible…”

And that’s how Sasscer sees Walter Reed Bethesda’s PICU, where…‘anything is possible.’

• Date Taken: 05.10.2019
• Date Posted: 05.29.2019 16:22
• Story ID: 324404
• Location: BETHESDA, MD, US