“She’s my sister, but we actively choose to be each other’s best friend. Every day we commit to that friendship.”
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Team members and patients are seeing double on the cardiovascular critical care unit at Riley Hospital for Children lately.
No need to check their vision. They are simply adjusting to the sight of two new nurses – twins who began their careers as registered nurses on the CVICU last month.
Hannah and Emma James are fraternal twins, but they look pretty identical. In fact, the two are mirror images of each other, down to the tiny nose rings they sport – Hannah’s on the left and Emma’s on the right.
Ordinarily, people can tell them apart by their hair color. Emma’s is typically more blond, and Hannah prefers hers dark. But lately they’ve both moved to a more medium shade. On this particular day though, Emma is wearing her long hair up.
The James twins are not new to Riley – both worked as techs for 2½ years while at Indiana University School of Nursing in Indianapolis. Emma was on the CVICU, and Hannah worked on 3 West before moving to the ICU side of the floor once she knew that was where she might be working as a nurse.
Both graduated from nursing school in May, and they credit their mom as their biggest cheerleader and their nursing school instructors (two of whom are part-time Riley nurses) for their success.
Not to mention plenty of hard work.
The experience for both – realizing their dream to become nurses – has been exhausting and exhilarating. Hannah is still adjusting to the newfound freedom from school and studying, something the sisters did together for years.
“We were hip to hip,” Emma said, sharing a bedroom in their childhood home in Portland, Indiana, and an apartment during nursing school.
Coming into Riley as a newly minted nurse was surreal, she added.
“I’ve watched all these amazing nurses perform – that’s who I’ve been learning from during my years as a tech.”
Now, it’s her turn to be amazing.
“I know how hard but how rewarding this job is going to be,” Emma said. “I have a lot of work still to put in, but I’m excited.”
Hannah did her nursing capstone on the CVICU, so she learned a great deal about the unit and the team before joining them full-time.
“Learning from the nurses on this unit has been amazing,” she said. “I feel like I have the proper support and resources I need to succeed.”
And she wants to do her part to support others.
“I love medicine and patient care. I’m passionate about supporting and helping others where I can, so this is a career that gives me all of those things.”
The twins, who turn 23 next month, weren’t always set to study nursing together. Emma originally considering going into the radiology field, but then decided nursing would offer her a more wide-ranging career.
Working at Riley while in school showed them their path forward.
“I fell in love with it,” Emma said. “It solidified that this is where I want to be – in peds. The patients are just so precious, so fun to work with.”
Both of the young nurses appreciate having the other to talk to and sometime just sit with after a hard day.
“I can look at Hannah, and she knows if something’s wrong,” Emma said. “We understand each other. Whether we talk about it or sit in silence, we just know. It’s that affirmation that we are doing OK and we are where we need to be.”
“It’s awesome having someone who understands the work you do,” Hannah agreed. “Working in pediatrics, especially the ICU, is very rewarding, but some days are extremely hard.”
Sometimes, if they are working the same shift and carpooled together, they might let everything out on the drive home, or they might not talk at all.
“We don’t have to say how we feel; we can just sit together,” Hannah said.
Because they are not just sisters and not just twin sisters, but best friends as well.
“She’s my sister, but we actively choose to be each other’s best friend,” said Hannah, the older twin by one minute. “Every day we commit to that friendship.”
Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org