A 10-year-old patient lay on the MRI table, just past the age where sedation is typically used, but clearly overwhelmed by the scan procedure. Sensing the child’s rising anxiety, Kim Roth stepped in. She guided the child through breathing exercises, switched the music to relaxing nature sounds, and reassured the mother that they were ready to proceed with the scan. For Roth, this wasn't just a protocol; it was second nature. Roth loves these moments at work when she can use the skills learned over years of experience to ease stress and worry for children and their families.
At 11 years old, Roth knew she wanted to be a nurse working with children. Maybe it was the example of her aunt who was an ICU nurse, or maybe she just always loved babies. By the time she reached nursing school and began training rotations, the job she had identified at 11, post-natal hospital nursery or “Baby Nurse,” no longer existed. With understanding and guidance from her teachers and mentors, Roth was well-supported in her pursuit of a nursing career. A grade-school project interviewing a nurse sparked a lifelong love for the profession. In high school, Roth’s anatomy teacher Mr. Clark helped her when she was struggling academically. Her pediatric clinical instructor, Rene Gonzales, helped her get into pediatric Med-Surg against the grain of nursing school pipelines that directed more nurse trainees into adult Med-Surg.
Roth wanted to work with kids, so Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland was always her top choice. She did her pediatric Med-Surg preceptorship there, followed by her first job on the same floor. Roth has worked as a nurse for 19 years and plans to continue for 20 more. She recently earned her promotion to Clinical Nurse 3 in pediatric diagnostic imaging. Always motivated by a drive to improve herself and the systems around her, Roth’s friends might call her “Type-A.” She prefers thorough.
Nurses are often the person a patient interacts with most, and Roth has learned many techniques to reduce anxiety about medical procedures. She knows that her job is equal parts communication and medical care, “As a nurse, I’m proud of being able to decrease the trauma between kids and hospitals. That can rely on distractions such as asking about school or their favorite things. But it is also about explaining, telling them in advance what we are doing, especially if it is going to hurt.”
Before her career in diagnostic imaging Roth worked in the pediatric emergency room for 11 years, a fast-paced setting where nurses see patients before the doctor. Roth enjoyed the constant learning in the ER, and that perpetual curiosity motivated her to join diagnostic imaging in 2024. She enjoys fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided procedures, remarking, “It’s always fun to do something new. It keeps things interesting!”
Recently, Roth became a founder and chair of the pediatric imaging shared governance council at BCH-Oakland. This nursing-run council focuses on process improvements and priorities advised by the radiology nursing staff. In September 2025, the council advocated for improved language resources which increased access to Mam language interpreters and standardizing MRI dressing room instructions for the six most common languages at Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland – English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Portuguese. They reduced MRI appointment turn-aways by adding fresh-tattoo screening questions to patients down to 15 years old. And they improved patient comfort by replacing slow-acting numbing cream with J-tips for air-injected lidocaine.
Just as she spends her free time reading self-improvement books and adventuring with her own two children, Roth’s focus on quality improvement and patient experience projects are part of her long-standing commitment to ensuring safe, comfortable care that meets the unique needs of our pediatric patients.