When Nursing Runs in Your Blood

When you have an old local hospital like Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, many family members end up working together. But we found one mother and daughter where the calling to be a nurse in their blood was stronger than the water moving along in the Detroit River.

Being a nurse isn’t for everyone. The hours are long, and the work is mentally and physically exhausting, but the reward is carried on throughout the lives of the people you save. When Caitlin Cooney grew up watching her grandmother, aunts, and mother being nurses, she didn’t think there was any other profession for her. “I always thought our family were nurses, and that too was what I was going to be,” said Caitlin.

Caitlin’s mother, Janet Davis, started her healthcare career as a combat medic in the army from 1982 to 1985. She earned her Associate Degree in Nursing in 1996 while pregnant with Caitlin and started working at Wyandotte Hospital, on an inpatient unit. She later worked in the Emergency Departments at Wyandotte Hospital and Riverside Hospital in Trenton.

In 2011, Janet received the Nurse of the Year Award. She would then go on to receive the Star of Excellence Award in 2015 for showing kindness to patients and their families and again in 2017 for teaching nurses how to knit and crochet hats for cancer patients.

Janet has been working at the Henry Ford Cancer Center in Brownstown for the past 10 years.

But Caitlin’s journey would not be so easy.

Caitlin Cooney has been a nurse for the past 5 years. But becoming a nurse was a challenge. She started as a Medical Tech while getting her Associate Degree in Nursing, but when it was time to apply and go to nursing school, she was denied at first. It is tough to being accepted into nursing school. “Being a nurse is all I knew. When I couldn’t get in, I didn’t give up.” Caitlin wouldn’t give up and got into Mercy College of Ohio and would drive over an hour to Toledo every day at 3 a.m. to study and attend classes while working fulltime at Wyandotte Hospital. This tenacity would prove an important role in her nursing career.

Caitlin would go on to receive her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2021. She would start her first job as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital in 2020, just weeks before the COVID pandemic wreaked havoc on healthcare and turning nursing upside down.

Reflecting on her experience in the ICU during the pandemic, Caitlin emphasizes the crucial role of teamwork in nursing. 'Your team can make or break you,' she says, 'and we were fortunate to have the best team.' The power of unity between a health care team has a direct connection to the outcome of their patients.

Working on the ICU during the pandemic has taken a toll on Caitlin, however the most challenging part was the transition after the pandemic. “Once covid was over, we didn’t know what to do. We had to find a new normal. We had nurses who only knew COVID. We looked to the older nurses to help us as we transitioned back to normal. That is what makes Henry Ford Health so wonderful. It is a team. They pick you up when things go south and tell you, “You got this.”

Caitlin transitioned from working as a nurse at the bedside to a Nurse Educator for two years while earned her master’s in nursing. Caitlin has recently been promoted to Assistant Clinical Manager back on Wyandotte Hospital’s ICU unit. “I enjoy being supportive of people. If I don’t know everything, I know where to get the answers for everyone. My staff knows they can reach out to me for answers and support. I like to give them support when they need it.”

Last year, Caitlin treated a unique patient who needed someone to stand up for them and ensure they returned home. A 90-year-old lady was visiting Michigan from Mexico and ended up in the hospital. But she wasn’t just any patient. This woman was losing a batter to cancer, and she wanted to go home to pass away peacefully. The issue was that the woman didn’t have out-of-country insurance to allow her special treatment on the way home. Caitlin fought for her so she could get what she needed and return home.

Caitlin would receive a DAISY Award for her tenacity and compassion for this patient’s rights. The DAISY Award is a recognition program designed to honor extraordinary nurses for their compassionate care and dedication to patients. “I’m so honored to receive this award. But I did only what I know how to do.”

Caitlin has been nominated four times for the Daisy and Nurse Educator Awards and nominated for the 2024 Nightingale and Clara Ford Awards. Caitlin grew up seeing her mom, grandma, and aunts caring for all their patients in the same way and learned that to be a nurse, you must care for patients as if they were your family. “Without my mom and family, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Being a nurse isn’t for everyone. But for some, it runs through their blood. It’s stronger than war, stronger than a pandemic, stronger than the water that moves along the Detroit River.