2018 Gold Medalist – Clinical Practice in a Large Hospital

Debbie Kaur, RN, BA, Charge Nurse, Houston Methodist Hospital

“The definition of a nurse is to go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs.”

This anonymous quote describes Debbie Kaur, who has practiced nursing on Houston Methodist Hospital’s Fondren 11 Heart Failure Unit for more than 20 years. Born in a small village in India, she grew up watching her father build houses for less fortunate people, while her mother helped them make food and clothing.

“I had not planned to go to nursing school,” Debbie says. “I was supposed to be a teacher, but then something happened. I noticed that a lot of people in my village who were sick were not being diagnosed and getting the medical care they needed. I thought I could help change things, either by going to medical school or nursing school. By then it was kind of late for medical school, so I decided I would go to nursing school and make a difference.”

When she applied for a position at Houston Methodist Hospital in 1998, she was hired to practice on the cardiology floor. “I liked it from day 1 and knew this was the right place for me,” she says. “This is so much more than a job for me. It’s my passion and my life and my second home.”

Debbie serves as chair of the Fondren 11 Evidence-based Practice Council and leads patient safety efforts. She was the lead in helping her team achieve zero central-line infections for seven months. She also helped reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections, setting a record at Houston Methodist Hospital by going 300 days on the Heart Failure Unit without a CAUTI.

She has assisted in developing the unit and nurses to provide care for pulmonary hypertensive patients and those on ventricular assist devices. “As a tenured professional, Debbie has served as a role model in her exemplary clinical bedside practices, mentoring a high-volume of staff in various job positions,” wrote her nominator Teresa Peters, RN, MSN, CCRN. “Debbie is truly the ‘number one’ Heart Failure Unit nurse. She is an amazing leader, charge nurse, and bedside nurse on Fondren 11. She is often referred to as the mother of the unit.”

Debbie takes being called “mother of the unit” as a compliment. “It’s just like at home. You have kids and you make sure their needs are met,” she says. “You help them in their sorrow and in their joy. And that’s what we do at Houston Methodist. We share our joys, and we share our sorrows. My mother taught me that when you share your happiness and your sorrow, the happiness increases and the sorrow decreases.”

Two years ago, she was asked to lead the Shared Governance Council. She has been described as a mentor to nurses and nursing assistants. If she doesn’t know the answer, she knows whom to ask. One of her coworkers wrote, “When you see Debbie’s name on the schedule, you know you’re going to have a great day.”

“In my religion we believe that if you do something good and broadcast it, the karma is gone,” she says. “My father taught us not to expect anything in return when we do good deeds. My mother also has a great story. My father’s mother was very strict and didn’t believe in giving because she said that if you give once, people will take advantage. My mother was the opposite. She would give away food and clothing behind my grandma’s back. They taught me wonderful lessons.”

Debbie plans to continue practicing nursing on Fondren 11. “This is my home, and I’m not planning on building another one anywhere else. It’s not only the patients, it’s the doctors, nurses, management team, and sometimes even the visitors in the hallway who make it special. When I drive home from work every day I ask myself if I put a smile on someone’s face. Did I make a difference? If the answer is yes, I feel good inside my heart.”