Caring for the whole family unit by helping to bring the world to life is important to nurse Molly Cada.
Originally from Schuyler, Cada attended and graduated from Schuyler High School. After graduating, she attended the College of Saint Mary’s nursing program in Omaha.
After attending school in Omaha, Cada said she and her husband returned to the area to be close to family and for the job opportunities available to them. Raising their five children in a small town atmosphere and lifestyle is another aspect that brought them back to the area.
After completing her studies, she spent three years at CHI Health Schuyler. Cada was soon offered a job at Columbus Community Hospital, where he has been for seven years.
Cada is currently working in the material child unit. This includes labor and delivery, postpartum care for mother and baby after delivery, and a little bit of everything in this unit, she explained. This could include additional care for infants if needed.
Having five children and receiving care from her nurses during this time inspired Cada to get into the field.
“Just having that impact on someone’s life – I just knew it was something I wanted to do,” Cada said.
In her current post, Cada said that every day is a little different. You have to be on your guard, she said, adding that it’s good for your brain.
Cada said management was able to come up with good processes and the unit was able to navigate its way through the pandemic. Although there weren’t as many visitors to the hospital, the mother who had the baby was able to have her main support person with her at all times.
Cada pointed out that COVID-19 affected the maternal and child health unit to some extent, but the nurses did not see the level of illness with COVID-19 in their unit which was seen on the second floor (unit acute/intensive care unit) or other areas of the hospital.
“It was actually OK from a breastfeeding perspective because it allowed mum to spend more time with her baby, but now that we are reopening things I really think people like it – being able to come to them see and it’s a beautiful sign of normalcy,” Cada said.
When Cada takes care of moms and babies, she has also tried to keep in mind that she is also taking care of the family. In a way, Cada said she also sees her partner or husband as a patient because they are an entire family unit. Sharing knowledge of what’s going on with everyone in the room is important, she said.
“While the patient is the primary focus, family inclusion is an important part of taking a holistic nursing approach to our care,” she said.
The Columbus Telegram sat down with Cada to talk about her experience with nursing.
Question. Tell us about your immediate family
To respond. My husband’s name is Andy and we have five children: Maura, Levi, CJ, Emily and Kaylee.
Q. When, why did you decide to become a nurse?
A. After being around hospitals with family members and having children myself, I saw the impact nurses had on a person/life and I knew it was something I wanted to be part of.
Q. What do you love most about nursing and find most rewarding about it?
A. I think what I love most about nursing is that every day is different and has its own challenges. You should always be prepared for anything and everything that might happen in the course of a day.
During labor and delivery, I love being able to help patients and families through one of the most meaningful times in their lives. Being a positive part of their experience is one of the things I find most rewarding. I love when I have patients I’ve taken care of with other children they’ve had in the past and then see them again for the next one. You can continue this relationship with them.
Q. Funniest, saddest and most unusual experience in nursing?
A. That is a difficult question to answer. In nursing, you certainly encounter a wide range of emotions and situations. There are a lot of experiences that come to mind when thinking about this question, but I’m not sure I can narrow it down for you right now.
Q. If you had not become a nurse, what profession would you have practiced? And why?
A. It’s hard to imagine not being in nursing. I think I would have always done something with health care. I just enjoy the combination of working with people and the science behind it as well.
Q. Why are you glad you chose nursing?
A. Nursing is good work and rewarding work. There are so many ways to specialize in nursing. You can really find what you love to do the most.
A. As far as my nursing career goes, right now I’m happy where I am. I love the work I do. I have great colleagues and a great unit to work on. I love working in the mother-child unit.
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