Growing together: From cabbage patch to St. Mark’s Hospital

Suzanne Wouden remembers a cabbage field growing where St. Mark’s Hospital now stands. She used to watch a farmer drive his tractor along the green rows. She remembers when her uncle, a contractor, moved in from out of state to help transform the land and the facility that would be built on it.

One year after the new facility opened, Suzanne began her lifelong, patient-centered service there. She began as a candy striper, and her passion for the hospital and its patients has continued growing during her 39-year (and counting!) nursing career.

“I’ve always loved St. Mark’s Hospital, and I’ve always wanted to be a nurse,” said Suzanne. “This was the natural place for me.”

Growth at St. Mark’s: Experiencing the spectrum of life

While in her final semester of nursing school, Suzanne requested St. Mark’s Hospital as the location for her clinical hours and received an assignment to the urology and med/surg unit. This starting point proved to be a blessing.

“Back in 1983, there weren’t very many nursing jobs available. It took months for several of my fellow nursing students to find a job. I was lucky. A nurse on the urology and med/surg unit had left, so they hired me, and I got my foot in the door,” Suzanne said.

After three years in urology and med/surg, Suzanne transferred to the OB/GYN labor and delivery unit. For the next seven years, she cherished the opportunity to work with women – from those at the beginning of their childbearing years to women having hysterectomies.

Next, Suzanne found herself tending to babies in the nursery; and instantly, something swelled within her.

“I fell in love with those babies and developed a strong desire to work with them and learn more about taking care of infants,” Suzanne explained.

In 1997, neonatologists came to St. Mark’s to open a NICU, and Suzanne seized the opportunity to advance her skillset and care for those tiny patients. As the NICU grew and progressed, Suzanne developed right along with it.

“In the beginning we had just a room dedicated to NICU babies, and they’d rotate us nurses through. A few years after that, we moved to our unit within the hospital and the women’s center was built. It was very exciting! I felt a little apprehensive because we were doing things we’d never done before, but it was amazing to see the changes take place,” Suzanne said.

Compassion at St. Mark’s: Cultivating growth in others

Suzanne has served babies and their families on the NICU floor for more than 24 years. She says the special, caring atmosphere nurtures tremendous growth and progress within the little patients, as well as the adults who adore them.

“The first thing you often see in the NICU is the great fear and apprehension on parents’ faces. They’re scared about their precious little baby being there. I find that just explaining what you’re going to do – what it will accomplish and why it’s beneficial to the baby – makes all the difference in the world,” Suzanne said. “I’m constantly teaching and I strive to be someone they can talk to about their feelings.”

Suzanne is known for taking time to teach new parents necessary skills to care for their babies – especially those with little experience or understanding of infants and/or with limited access to resources. In addition to getting those families in touch with social workers and all resources available, she often dedicates significant effort to patiently and cheerfully demonstrating simple tasks, like diapering or properly making a bottle.

“After I demonstrate, I have them demonstrate it back to me ... I see a real sense of accomplishment as they gain confidence in caring for their child, and it gives me comfort to know I’m sending the child home to equipped parents,” Suzanne said.

Suzanne also cultivates growth amongst new nurses. For the past three years, she has served as a preceptor – a nurse mentor – facilitating valuable learning among her less experienced nursing colleagues. She finds it extremely rewarding to empower nurses to serve compassionately and capably, often in leadership roles and high acuity areas.

After nearly four decades at Utah’s first hospital, Suzanne also noted how her St. Mark’s experience continues to teach and personally impact her, as well.

“I’ve learned that life is so precious and that everybody is important. Everybody needs love and support,” Suzanne said. “We’re all in this together as a NICU team. What we do matters so much.”