Anna C. DeBoard

Department of Pediatric Imaging
Children's Hospital of Michigan
Detroit, MI 48201
Email: adeboard1@earthlink.net
Telephone: (313)-745-0094

I have been a staff nurse in the Department of Pediatric Imaging (Radiology) here at Children's Hospital since November 1991. I had never worked in pediatrics prior to this position. My background was primarily adult medical/surgical, ICU and ER.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Madonna college (now Madonna University). I started nursing as an LPN, receiving my diploma from Shapero School of Practical Nursing at Sinai Hospital in Detroit. I just completed my Master's studies in Education at Wayne State University in April 2000. The emphasis of my studies was exercise science/wellness. After working with ill adults for many years, I feel very strongly that much of the illness that occurs in adults is a result of an unhealthy lifestyle with inactivity being a major contributing factor.

The PET Center was opened here at Children's Hospital in January 1994. I had the privilege of opening the center for nursing and worked in the center exclusively for four months. I presented "Nursing in PET" at the American Radiology Nurses Association's Educational Meeting in the Spring of 1995.

We now have a primary nurse in the PET Center, but I fill in for her on the days that she is off work. Other days I am working in one of the other areas of Imaging such as MRI, CT, or Nuclear Medicine. The nurses role in this department is primarily sedation of infants and children for various procedures. Each child who is sedated requires a thorough assessment prior to being sedated. We help with procedural preparation by inserting IVs, catheters, accessing ports, and responding to emergent situations. Another nursing function in Imaging is MRI scheduling. We have found that there is much complexity in preparing children for MRI exams, so scheduling MRIs has become more like triaging.

I am also certified in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Maintaining ACLS is beneficial since we do have adult patient in PET who require cardiac stress testing.