“It’s terrifying to start in the PICU as a new grad, but they made it as comfortable as can be. That makes it home.”

Brianna Cavaliere, a staff nurse I in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), always knew she was destined to work in health care. Her father is a physician’s assistant, her mother is a pharmacist and her stepmother works in Quality – all with ECU Health. But it was her work as a care partner with ECU Health’s pediatric rehabilitation, which she did while also attending nursing school, that solidified Brianna’s passion for the PICU.

“I’ve lived in Greenville my whole life, and I went to Pitt Community College for my nursing degree. I did all of my clinical rotations with ECU Health, and it was my number one choice to work here. My whole family works here, and we are a medical family. I have three younger sisters, and they’re pursuing careers as a physician assistant, dentist and physical therapist.

“I knew I was interested in the intensive care part of nursing; I like the challenge of learning as much as I can, which you have to do to be successful in the ICU. And I love working with kids. I used to be a daycare teacher, and when I was a nursing student, I worked the night shift as a care partner in the pediatric rehabilitation unit. One of my patients coded and I got to see the team work together. They knew what to do and brought that person back. That’s when I knew I wanted to work in the PICU.

“The PICU team here is the most incredible group of people. We are a family, and you never feel alone. I cannot imagine working somewhere else and not having this dynamic. It’s terrifying to start in the PICU as a new grad, but they made it as comfortable as can be. That makes it home.

“The management also is very supportive. They’re always checking on you to make sure you’re okay, and they give us opportunities to grow and get involved. I took on the role of a clinical coach and soon I’ll start precepting nursing students during their capstone projects. I still feel like I’m a new grad myself, but I have loved working with students. It’s exciting to encourage students and show them they can work in the ICU right after graduation.

“There is some bad with the good in the PICU, because we do see the sickest of the sick kids, but we experience many more wins than losses. I’ve gotten to see many kids who shouldn’t have been able to recover get to go home with their families. Some cases can be hard, but we learn and grow, and are always working toward better outcome. We stay positive and understand that because of our work, next time, there will be another kid we can help.

“I feel like a PICU nurse is a special breed. It requires sincerely caring about your patients, and often leads to doing extra things like braiding your patient’s hair and connecting with their families. It’s more than a task-oriented job; it’s a heart job.”