DAISY winner Roxy Klampe first served her country and now serves her community.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
For as long as she can remember, Roxanne “Roxy” Klampe knew she wanted to embrace a career of service.
Caring for the fragile patients on the pediatric intensive care unit at Riley Hospital for Children embodies that sense of greater good, but Klampe, who was recently recognized with a DAISY award for her clinical skills and compassionate care, got her start in the military.
“I’ve always wanted to help others and make a positive impact on people’s lives, and I’ve always strived to push myself to be the best that I can be,” the nurse said. “The PICU wasn’t the first place that I found to do that.”
Immediately after graduation from Monrovia High School, the Mooresville native joined the U.S. Navy and jumped on the fast track to become a medical specialist for the Marine Corps. She trained in Texas and North Carolina before being stationed at Camp Pendleton in California and eventually deploying with the CLB13 (Combat Logistics Battalion 13) in Africa.
She met her husband, Zack, while serving, and the two have been married for 10 years. They have two children.
All of it has been good training for her career at Riley, which began nearly two years ago in the PICU.
In the military, medics are trained to run toward the action to help the wounded. The same is true in healthcare.
“The PICU reminds me so much of my time in the service,” Klampe said. “When I was in the military, I feel like we got through tough times because we had one another to lean on. We were like one big family. And I truly feel like the PICU is the same. From the nurses, doctors, secretaries and techs, we all experience such highs and lows together as a team and we get through it together. I couldn’t be a PICU nurse without that entire team.”
Kati Townsend is grateful that Klampe chose to set her sights on nursing after leaving the military. Townsend and her husband, Charles, rushed their 1-year-old daughter, Helena, to Riley in early September with pneumonia.
But it was an allergic reaction to penicillin that made things worse. During that time, Townsend said, Klampe’s “confidence, positivity and empathy felt like an anchor to me.”
“I could feel my mindset shift and my gratitude rise when Roxanne and Dr. (Marie) Traylor told us that there was no better place to find out our daughter was deathly allergic to something than in the middle of Riley Hospital surrounded by a capable team of medical professionals,” Townsend said, rather than finding out alone at home.
“I feel a profound sense of thankfulness that we came to Riley, listened to all the tests they wanted to run, and saved both my daughter and myself from a scary situation at home,” she said.
“Roxanne was so patient with us and told us we could ask questions as many times as we wanted, because in the middle of something like that sometimes it takes four to five times for something to sink in.
“It is a comfort to know that when my children need medical care, I don’t just choose Riley because of proximity, but because it really is the best hospital,” she added. “Thank you, Roxanne, for caring so well for my Helena!”
Townsend, whose husband is active duty with the U.S. Navy, was surprised and delighted to learn later that Klampe is a veteran herself.
“That’s awesome,” she said. “I had no idea!”
While her military training serves her well in her nursing career, Klampe said being a mom is also excellent experience.
“When I come in a patient’s room, I think about how I would want to be talked to, how I would want my daughter to be cared for. I check myself at the door and put myself in the family’s shoes,” she said.
“Having a loved one admitted to a pediatric ICU can be such a dark and scary place, and I feel like part of my job is to be a light during their time of darkness. I feel I was able to do that for this family. Patients like Helena and her family are my reason why.”
As for the DAISY, she said, “It's an amazing feeling to be recognized for doing a job that you love.”
Nominate a nurse who exemplifies excellent clinical skills and compassionate care here.
Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org