Brianne Outram has been a nurse for 12 years – eight of those years have been spent at CHEO. While currently caring for children and youth in CHEO’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), Brianne has also spent time in pediatric medicine.

“I love going to work every single day,” says Brianne.

Brianne started her career in the vascular surgery department of an adult hospital and then came to CHEO where she worked in pediatric medicine and the PICU.

Brianne always knew CHEO was the place where she should be. “I always wanted to do pediatric nursing.”

What makes CHEO special? According to Brianne, it’s many things. The size of the organization and the overall team spirit and camaraderie of the staff play a large factor in making CHEO a place of work she enjoys. In comparing the adult versus pediatric setting, Brianne says, “I worked for two years at a place where many of the doctors didn’t know who I was. But at CHEO, you know everybody, or you get to know them. You are so respected,” she adds. “You are not just a number.”

At CHEO, Brianne has found more than just a job. “Working in a hospital isn’t always easy,” she explains. “It’s amazing to see the multidisciplinary approach and our family-centred care. You see people staying with their kids and how important that is to them – they value that. You see the family dynamic and parents who support their kids and how much fun the kids are having.”

And as for her team, it’s clear Brianne both values them and feels valued in return. “I feel that the support I get from my co-workers and management is just unbelievable,” says Brianne. “It makes a huge difference.”

To any new recruit joining the team, Brianne offers the following words of wisdom, “You are not going to regret your decision.”