For many, the call to begin a nursing career comes with the desire to help people, especially those in unfortunate situations or who cannot help themselves. For Susan K. F. Kau, a neonatal nurse who works as a member of the neonatal intensive care (NICU) team at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii, this calling came when she was just 16 and was sparked when she received an emergency appendectomy.
With decades of experience in the field, Kau has worked as a bedside nurse in the same hospital for 42 years. Though she initially intended to venture into pediatric nursing, there were no openings then. As a result, she began her work in an NICU.
Kau's passion for neonatal nursing was renewed just before she was ready to leave the NICU when she was assigned to care for a set of conjoined twins. This experience ultimately changed her life and outlook on her career. In light of having an absent father and a mother who did not visit, she cared for the twins, who lived for only one week. This experience reinforced her desire to remain in the NICU as an advocate for this patient population who do not have a voice for themselves and care for each one as if they were her own.
In recognition of her work, Kau has been the recipient of several awards, including a 2016 Nurse of the Year Award from Caring for Hawaii Neonates, as well as the 2022 Royal Order of Kapi'olani Award, an exclusive award presented to honorees who exemplify the goals of neonatal nursing care in the community.
Kau's commitment to professional growth and excellence led her to become certified in 1988 by the National Certification Corporation. In 1987, she became a level III clinical ladder nurse at Kapi'olani and, for the next 30 years, was a clinical ladder and bedside nurse from level III to V. Notably, she was Kapi'olani's first level V clinical ladder nurse in 2006.
Kau is an active member of the Hawaii Nurses Association, the Academy of Neonatal Nursing, and the National Association of Neonatal Nursing. She is also a board member of Caring for Hawaii Neonates. Additionally, Kau is a contributing author of two books, "The Late Preterm Infant," published in 2019, and "Neonatal Nursing: A Global Perspective," released in 2022. She revised chapters in the 6th Edition of "Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing Care" in 2019. She is currently revising and editing chapters in the upcoming edition of this book, due to be published in 2025. Her latest contribution is "A Passion for Life," her manuscript in Nursing for Women's Health, published in February 2024.
Kau is a driven individual who always works to find something that will better the lives of her patients and her practice. In speaking on her work, she has shared that she finds joy in being a strong patient advocate for her patients and their families as they navigate on their journey through the NICU.
"It's all about the patient's experience that we are privileged to be part of," Kau says. "Being there through the good times and the not-so-good times and being embraced by them as part of their family in the beginning of one's life is a journey and the experience of a lifetime. These rewards are priceless in a career as a NICU nurse. I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, blessing me with a career which turned out to be a passion for life."
In her free time, Kau says she enjoys several activities, including walking, cooking, improving her photography skills, creating Fabergé eggs, and embellishing handbags with Swarovski crystals. Her motto is "positivity, flexibility, and resilience." Within the next few years, she says that she plans to retire and pursue her hobbies, one of which is cooking.