When Tanya Simpson, RN, MS, heard the burn lecture in nursing school years ago, her first reaction was “no way I would do that.” Yet, she managed a burn clinic in St. Louis before becoming the director of burn services at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta five years ago.

“It was a calling I wasn’t aware I had,” Simpson said.

Like many burn specialists, she came to the job through the back door. There is no certification or specialized training for becoming a burn nurse. Most are trained by more experienced nurses on the job.

Simpson was working as a critical care nurse in a cardiac unit when she was asked if she would help out on the burn floor.

“I think it was my proudest moment in nursing that I said ‘yes’,” she said. “What I discovered was the most clinically diverse and complicated nursing I’d ever done.”

She found herself nursing children and adults, treating every kind of organ failure, educating patients and their families and even dealing with lawyers about child abuse.

“The creativity of the nurses I worked with was amazing. Monitor patches don’t stick on burned patients, but these nurses found a way,” she said.

By the time the hospital found someone to take her place, Simpson had no desire to leave the unit.

“People either love being a burn nurse or they hate it. It’s not a job, it’s a passion,” Simpson said. “It’s an emotionally, mentally and physically challenging type of nursing. You have to know your stuff.”

Skin is the body’s largest organ and has many functions, but burns affect much more than skin. They affect the lungs, kidney, liver, heart, bones and other organs.

Burn nurses must have critical care skills and know their way around kidney dialysis machines and intra-aortic balloon pumps.

At the Joseph M. Still Burn Center, they’re also involved with clinical research, often recommending patients for a study, following the protocols and performing the care.

“A lot of our research has become part of our standard practice. It keeps us on the cutting edge and improves our outcomes,” Simpson said.

The duration of care is another factor in burn nursing. Unlike most hospital patients, serious burn victims can be long-term residents.

“In six months, you get to know your patients’ ins and outs and you become a part of their family’s lives,” Simpson said.

It hurts to lose a patient whom you’ve cared for.

“If I ever lose the ability to cry, I’ll know it’s time to get out. The essence of a true burn nurse is having the compassion to go with the skills,” she said.

When asked about her typical day, Simpson laughed. There aren’t any.

Several weeks ago, the staff had spitpolished the center in anticipation of a visit from Gov. Sonny Perdue. Before Perdue’s arrival, a train wreck brought 25 chemical burn patients, 11 of whom were admitted.

“All morning, staff were calling and wanting to come in. Some just showed up to work. They knew that they had the skills that were needed,” Simpson said.

Similarly, when a fireworks disaster in Peru injured 500 people several years ago, doctors and nurses from the center flew down to help.

At conferences, when Simpson tells people what she does, their reaction is often like her first one — negative.

“They don’t understand what a privilege it is to work here, to be needed and change people’s lives,” she said. “We see the human spirit in action every day, and it’s amazing.”