With many moving parts and the need for constant collaboration with other departments, a social worker’s schedule is tricky to nail down. Still, Kate Gardes strives to be a steady, encouraging presence for her patient families, most of whom she meets when their newborn babies are first admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Children’s Egleston Hospital. This is one of three hospitals that are part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the largest freestanding pediatric healthcare systems in the country.

“My job is to walk alongside patients and families during their hospital journey,” Kate explains. “I’m with them through it all—diagnosis, surgery, transfer to the step-down unit and, finally, discharge.”

A Typical Day: Social Worker

6:45 a.m. Rising early, Kate makes her first cup of coffee and checks her email before she leaves her house. She is looking for messages about families who might need her help that day—including new patient admissions, doctor consults and high-risk screens. After noting the people she’ll likely add to her schedule, Kate gets on her pedal-assist bike to ride from her home in Decatur to Egleston. “I love my morning commute,” Kate says. “Physical activity helps me clear my head and prepare for the day ahead.”

8:30 a.m. “Good morning,” Kate says as she enters her office, a space she shares with two other inpatient cardiac social workers and several child life specialists. She spends the first hour of her workday catching up on paperwork: charting, tracking down resources for families, completing applications to help families take advantage of these resources and coordinating with community partners like Babies Can’t Wait, Georgia’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with special needs. She knows that later, when urgent family needs arise, the phone calls, emails and applications will have to wait.

10 a.m. Kate attends the daily CICU interdisciplinary rounds, which are a time for care teams to discuss any questions or concerns about the patients on their unit. Kate knows her patient families and understands the unique situations they face in and out of the hospital. Today, she addresses a question about a family who hasn’t been spending as much time at their child’s bedside recently. Kate explains that the patient has a twin sister at home and her dad is back at work—but that the family is involved and responsive.

10:30 a.m. Heading upstairs to the unit, Kate checks in with her patient families and their medical teams. Today she is also welcoming a new family on the floor. After introducing herself, Kate offers the parents some information to help orient them to the hospital, such as the rounds schedule for their unit. “For some families, this is their first major interaction with a medical system,” she says. “It can be helpful for them to have a supportive presence in the hospital.”

11:30 a.m. Kate wraps up her morning by attending a care conference with a cardiologist and a patient family. This is an opportunity for families to learn more about their child’s long-term care goals and to address any issues or concerns they may have. Unlike daily rounds, these conferences take place away from the bedside—giving everyone a chance to slow down, ask questions and take a more holistic view of the child’s needs. “Oftentimes, it’s refreshing for our families and physicians to step away from the bedside for these conversations,” Kate says. “Moving to a different room can provide everyone a new perspective.”

1:30 p.m. After breaking for lunch in the Egleston garden, Kate works on documenting notes from her morning consults. Then, she returns to the CICU to check in on a parent—a new mother who is having trouble coping with her baby’s diagnosis. Kate asks how the mom is doing and makes sure she is eating and sleeping as she recovers from childbirth. Coping with a child’s hospitalization can be taxing for parents. “I try to do everything I can to ease their burden,” Kate says. “It’s important our patient families continue to care for themselves, too.”

3:30 p.m. As the afternoon winds down, Kate speaks with a family preparing for discharge soon. Before they leave, she educates them about government benefits like Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and supplemental nutrition programs, which can help sustain a successful recovery at home. “I serve as an advocate for these families,” Kate explains. “My role is to teach them how to use their resources to transition successfully from hospital to home.”

“I serve as an advocate for these families. My role is to teach them how to use their resources to transition successfully
from hospital to home.”

5 p.m. Before she leaves for the day, Kate updates the overnight social worker on any changes on the unit—including new admissions, behavioral issues or bereavements. She also takes a moment to focus on her own self-care, setting up a meeting later this week with the Strong4Life Staff Support Liaison at Egleston. As a social worker, Kate supports many patients who may have challenging family dynamics and emotional needs. Through the Strong4Life employee wellness program, she has an opportunity to participate in one-on-one consultations with support staff members to help her process the tougher aspects of her job. Kate adds that this is just one of the emotional wellness resources available to Children’s team members to help them navigate some of the more challenging aspects of pediatric care. Others include yoga retreats, on-site massage and facility dogs dedicated to being there for staff who need a pick-me-up.

6 p.m. Kate bikes home, looking forward to spending the evening with her husband and two daughters. When they were spending more time at home during the pandemic, her family started fostering a litter of kittens from a local animal rescue shelter. “Of course, we ended up keeping two!” she says. Later, Kate winds down with a book, the latest pick from Oprah’s Book Club. And when it’s time for lights out, she turns on a sleep and meditation app, listening to a quiet meditation as she recharges for another day.

After two years working in the CICU, Kate has transitioned into a new role as Supervisor for Inpatient Social Work at Egleston. She credits her manager for encouraging her to apply and her experience with the Egleston Social Work Shared Leadership Committee for providing her insight into what it takes to be a successful supervisor.

“As chair of the Social Work Shared Leadership Committee, I helped identify goals for our department, addressed issues, helped establish better processes, among other things,” she says. “This experience helped me learn how to encourage a team and hold people accountable for achieving results. It prepared me to lead across our System. Thanks to Children’s, I had the opportunities and the support I needed to advance my career.”

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