Danielle Salvas, a registered nurse in
Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Pediatric/Adolescent Unit, was with a patient when she
received a message that the State Board of Nursing was on the phone. On her
way to the phone she couldn’t help wondering what she had done. As it turns
out, the caller was from the New Hampshire Nursing Association announcing
that Salvas had indeed done something – she had been named New Hampshire
Direct Care Nurse of the Year.
“I was really surprised, really honored and humbled,” says Salvas. “The
award means so much because my job is everything to me. “
Salvas decided to become a nurse after working with kids
in a variety of settings including summer camps. “I was always drawn to the
kids who had a lot of special needs,” she says. After graduating from
nursing school in 2007, Salvas joined DHMC’s Pediatric/Adolescent Unit where
she’d also completed her senior practicum. “In school I wondered if the
reality of nursing would be as exciting as all the information we were
getting,” says Salvas. “As soon as I started working, I loved it.”
The Pediatric/Adolescent Unit serves oncology, surgical, and medical
patients— anyone who fits the age criteria and needs in-hospital care. Since
joining the unit, Salvas has developed a special interest in oncology cases.
“I always sign up to be on the primary care team for oncology patients,” she
says. “I talk about the kids I’m treating to my co-workers all the time.
They’re really my kids. They really teach me a lot.”
To show her support for kids with cancer outside of work, Salvas ran in last
year’s CHaD Half Marathon. “The race had a superhero theme,” says Salvas.
“We were all encouraged to dress like superheroes and there were signs that
said ‘Be a Hero.’ I remember thinking, ‘The patients are the real heroes.”
Having worked as a nurse’s aide and completed clinical assignments in other
hospitals, Salvas is glad to be at DHMC. “The camaraderie and support here
really keeps you going,” she says. “We push ourselves and we help each
other. And it’s great to work with a diverse patient population.”
When she thinks about her future in nursing, Salvas wants to stay with her
patients. “The kids make it so easy,” she says. “They give us all so much
it’s easy to give back to them. To see them go through their ups and down
and triumph and to see their parents give everything they have – it’s really
an inspiration.”
Salvas received her recognition on Oct. 20 at the New Hampshire Nurses
Association Conference. While her name is on the award, Salvas thinks the
award is about much more than her. “This award is about the kids I take care
of, the team I work with, and the people who have believed in me along the
way,” says Salvas. “There are tough days when I run into my supervisor’s
office or talk to a friend and fellow nurse and they just believe everything
will be OK, that we can change the world. They just give an energy that
allows anybody to be the greatest nurse around.”