by Kara Haworth, Nebraska Medicine
They found their passion in Respiratory Care. Kim Bobo and her daughter, Loni Waddell, share why working together in a field they love is so special.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
That’s what patients have said to Loni Waddell during the years, after learning her mother is Kim Bobo. The mother and daughter duo are both trained as respiratory therapists and have enjoyed working for Nebraska Medicine together for eight years. Combined, they have more than 60 years of experience.
“My mom and I may not work together, but our patients eventually see both of us at some point,” says Waddell, who works with transplant patients in the OR at Nebraska Medical Center. Her mother works in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Bellevue Medical Center.
“Back when I worked in the Pulmonary Function Laboratory, I would see inpatients and outpatients as they prepared for transplant,” Waddell says. “Then they’d see my mom in Pulmonary Rehab before and after transplant, and now I am seeing them in the OR for transplants.”
Waddell, who has worked for Nebraska Medicine for nearly 19 years, encouraged her mom to apply here when she decided to move back to Omaha.
“I am proud to work with my daughter and for Nebraska Medicine,” says Bobo. “I can’t go anywhere with Loni where she doesn’t run into former patients or co-workers. When Loni told me she was going to be a respiratory therapist, I was happy that she chose that career path. I knew she would do well and find, as I did, that it was the best career path I could have taken. It gives me a lot of joy and it is rewarding to see our patients get better and to be a part of that journey. People have said to me ‘I love Nebraska Medicine. They saved my life.’”
Bobo is also very proud that the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Bellevue Medical Center received certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). (The Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Nebraska Medical Center is also AACVPR certified.)
“We have a great team,” Bobo says.
“I have met so many awesome co-workers, patients and their families,” says Waddell. “It’s rare for a hospital to offer so many different areas for an RT to work. This gives us the opportunity to broaden our skillset and utilize those in the next setting, in turn improving patient care.”