My Specialty
Telemetry Nursing, Sheila Chua, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
Life-saving heart monitoring of cardiac and stroke patients
Sheila Chua, RN, BSN
Telemetry RN, Night Shift
CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
Can you share the general arc of your nursing career?
In 1995, I migrated to the U.S. from the Philippines. I first lived in Chicago, and worked there for eight years in a geriatric rehab facility, starting as a floor nurse and later becoming the supervisor. Around 2003, I came to Los Angeles, got married, and took a position at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. I worked there for 18 years on the kidney and liver transplant unit. I later had the opportunity to work at CHA HPMC on the telemetry unit, starting in 2020 — right around the time COVID hit.
Did you always want to be a nurse?
Growing up, nursing was not on my mind at all. My father was an engineer, and I was planning to go to school for architecture. My mom saw how I had taken care of my grandmother and thought I would be a good nurse. She talked me into going to nursing school.
My older daughter is in health management and my younger daughter is currently studying nursing, so there is now a family legacy of nursing across two generations!
What are your present responsibilities?
As a telemetry nurse, I make sure all of my monitors are in good working order and my patients’ heart rhythms are in a good place.
Our unit has a 32-bed capacity with a maximum of only four patients per nurse. Our patients may have congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, or coronary artery bypass grafts. There are also a lot of stroke patients.
Our telemetry patients aren’t monitored remotely — our monitors are right in the nursing station. We monitor patients with heart conditions very closely, which allows us to detect potential problems early and respond quickly to prevent codes and other emergencies.
I enjoy educating patients and their families on how to best take care of themselves once they go home. Some of our more chronic patients may stay a little longer than others, so we have a chance to get to know them a little more. We always want our patients to improve, of course, but there are always cases that are tougher.
For newer nurses interested in telemetry, what skills are essential?
All of the nurses on our unit do certain certifications focused on basic arrhythmias, and get NIH stroke certification. CHA HPMC also has its own internal education programs, some of which are mandatory.
However, our unit accepts new grads with no telemetry experience. They take courses, become certified, and learn on the job. We don’t initially give them complicated or high-acuity patients; this helps newcomers to not feel too intimidated or scared working with our more complicated patients.
There’s a lot to learn — mastering the different arrhythmias can be challenging.
What are some things you most love about your job?
I enjoy sitting with the monitor tech and learning new things. There are sometimes unusual arrhythmias that we rarely see, like Torsades de Pointes. In these cases, I go to the patient, assess signs and symptoms, and share with the other nurses so we can all learn together.
I like to remain at the bedside and be with the patients. I talk to them and help them understand their care. Being a patient in a hospital is hard, and I enjoy helping them to feel more empowered and less helpless. I take pride in the small things, like keeping patients clean and feeling good.
At the end of the day, there’s a sense of fulfillment. I’ll ask myself if I’ve done the very best I can, or if there’s something I haven’t done yet that needs my attention. I want patients and their families to feel satisfied with the care I provide.
Are there any career milestones you wish to share with us?
In 2024, I was humbled and deeply honored to be a DAISY Award honoree. A patient’s granddaughter wrote:
“Sheila was our nurse for my grandfather for a couple of nights. She was very comforting, and also very friendly and had a positive energy towards her job and patients. She was outgoing, supporting us and helping us keep a positive mindset during these difficult times. Despite her limited knowledge of Spanish, she tried to communicate with my grandfather and mother in our language.”
What are some of the most important values that inform your life?
My faith and my family. It’s all about finding balance in life, taking care of myself so that I can take the best possible care of my children, my family, and my patients.
KEITH CARLSON, RN, BSN, NC-BC, has worked as a nurse since 1996 and offers expert professional coaching at www.nursekeith.com.
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