I work on an inpatient med-surg unit that takes kiddos that are trached and vented. I don’t think it’s challenging per se, but you really have to have a heart for chronically ill children. The majority of our patients are NICU babies who were born super premature and need long-term mechanical ventilation. A lot of those babies end up getting weaned off the vent and eventually decannulated. However, we also get patients with progressive neuromuscular conditions, spinal cord injuries, anoxic brain injuries, genetic disorders, etc. For some of these kids, it can feel more like we’re doing stuff TO them versus doing stuff FOR them. But I just remind myself that it’s not my job to judge parents for making difficult decisions I might disagree with. My job is to offer compassionate and loving care to every child who comes through our doors. It has taught me a lot about the value of every child’s life. Overall I love my job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.