Bridging the Gaps to Save Medically Complex Children

The Nurse Keith Show

On episode 490 of The Nurse Keith Show nursing and healthcare career podcast, Keith interviews Natalie McCawley, MSN, RN, CCRN and Tiffany Simon, MSN, RN, CCRN, co-founders of Project Austin at Children’s Nebraska.

In the course of their conversation, Keith and his guests discuss the genesis and mission of Project Austin, which seeks to "create awareness within the community regarding the needs of children living with medical complexity and establish an emergency system that is specific to each child, to ensure that every child receives the correct care they require, and that such care is easily accessible within their local community."

Tiffany Simon is the Project Austin Co-Founder at Children’s Nebraska. She has been a pediatric nurse for 22 years in Medical and Cardiac Intensive Care Units, Critical Care Transport, ECMO team, Trauma Outreach Coordinator, and currently the Project Austin Program Manager for Internal Affairs at Children’s Nebraska.

Tiffany’s personal and professional career drives her motivation to provide optimal care for children with complex medical needs across the continuum. Her “why” is simple, Tiffany’s medically complex son, Austin, suffered a lethal medical error during an emergency. Austin’s death affected numerous people including the first responders and emergency department healthcare professionals caring for him. Tiffany’s passion includes providing exceptional to children with medical complexity by increasing awareness and education to the healthcare professionals who are called to care for them in a time of emergency.

Natalie McCawley is the Project Austin Program Manager of External Affairs at Children’s Nebraska and one of the Program’s Co-Developers. Driven by a passion for medically complex children and the communities who are called upon to assist in an emergency, she has dedicated her life to improving outcomes and empowering EMS and Community Emergency Departments with the knowledge, preparation and resources needed to make a difference with this especially vulnerable patient population.

Natalie graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Nursing Program with her BSN in May of 2005 and accepted a position in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s Nebraska. In February of 2010 she joined the Pediatric/Neonatal Critical Care Transport Team and became trained as an ECMO Specialist as well as a member of the heart transplant team. With a passion for education, she transitioned to the Transport Outreach Coordinator position in November of 2014 and graduated with her MSN in December 2016. While in this role, she closely worked with the Trauma Outreach Coordinator, Tiffany Simon, to co-develop Project Austin.

Connect with Tiffany, Natalie, and Project Austin

• Project Austin
• Tiffany Simon on LinkedIn
• Natalie McCawley on LinkedIn

Contact Nurse Keith about holistic career coaching to elevate your nursing and healthcare career at NurseKeith.com. Keith also offers services as a motivational and keynote speaker and freelance nurse writer. You can always find Keith on LinkedIn.

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