A Conversation with Pediatric Nurse Jackie Fouts
East Tennessee Children's Hospital Celebrates Women's History Month
Please briefly introduce yourself with a little about you and your role at Children’s Hospital.
My name is Jackie Fouts, I have been a pediatric nurse for 24 years. This is my 13th year with Pediatric Neurology where I hold the position as the Clinical Lead. There are many duties that go into my job, but none of them would be possible without the help of my nursing team. We work together to make sure our patients have everything that they need if it be specialty medications, supplies, rescheduled appointments, or just a listening ear on the phone. Our goal each day is not to leave until we have returned every call we have received and if we haven’t found the answers, we have tried to lead the families in the right direction to get them.
What does it mean to you to be a woman in pediatric health care?
Being a Pediatric nurse has taught me so much through the years. I love what I do and can not imagine ever doing anything else. Being a woman in pediatric health care gives me the opportunity to be a voice and advocate for my patients and their families. I think being a mother myself gives me the compassion to connect with the kids as well as the parents because I know what it like to be in their shoes. We never know what the children we cross paths with are going through, so I feel when they encounter us here at Children's they should know that they are going to receive kindness, love, and feel safe here.
If you had one piece of advice you could share with 8-year-old you, what would it be?
My advice to myself as a child would be to live each day to the fullest, enjoy your childhood because there is plenty of time to be a grown up.
Did you have a female physician or nurse that impacted you as a child/young woman that led you to where you are now?
The biggest influence in my nursing career that made the most impact would be my nursing instructor Helen Smelcer. She was tough, she was smart, she was so passionate about nursing, she pushed us to know our stuff and always put the patient before anything else. She truly made me the nurse that I am today!
