Supporting Growth and Beyond: LG Chem’s Patient Education Nurse, Lee, Mi-Rae
2025. 07. 18
The path to supporting a child’s growth always begins with a warm, caring hand.
LG Chem’s Life Sciences Business Division provides professional consultation and education through dedicated patient education nurses, helping children who are beginning growth hormone treatment and their guardians feel reassured and supported throughout the process. These nurses go beyond simply explaining how to use the product. They provide repeated training to help guardians become confident in administering injections. They also adjust their consultation approach based on the child’s age and personality, while carefully attending to the emotional needs of both the child and the parent.
This interview features Lee, Mi-Rae, a patient education nurse of LG Chem’s Specialty Care Department, who shares her candid experiences from the field.
Q. Hello! Please introduce yourself.
Lee, Mi-Rae: I’m Nurse Lee, Mi-Rae, working in the Pediatric Endocrine Sales Team 3 of the Specialty Care Department at LG Chem’s Life Sciences Division. I’m responsible for providing education and consultation related to growth hormone treatment, and I also handle customer inquiries. Our team is made up of both sales representatives and nurses.
Q. As a nurse working in a corporate setting rather than a hospital, how does your role differ from that of a typical hospital nurse?
Lee, Mi-Rae: My main role is to educate parents on how to administer growth hormone injections. After the initial training, I continue to support them through follow-up consultations and ongoing care. While I occasionally visit hospitals, most of my work is coordinated with sales representatives, and my primary focus remains on education.
Q. Who are the main recipients of your education?
Lee, Mi-Rae: I provide education to children who have been prescribed growth hormone injections at the hospital, along with their guardians. The approach may vary depending on the child’s age and the guardian’s circumstances.
Q. What do you consider most important when consulting with children or their guardians?
Lee, Mi-Rae: I believe the most important part of injection training is delivering the information accurately and in a way that’s easy to understand. This is because the content may vary depending on the child’s age, family situation, and diagnosis.
The education covers a wide range of ages, from young children to late teens. Some cases are covered by insurance, such as growth hormone deficiency, while others are not. While the focus is on basic injection training, I make sure to address as many of the guardians’ questions as possible.
Another important aspect I focus on is psychological comfort. Growth hormone treatment often requires daily injections for at least a year, sometimes several years, which can be a significant burden for both the child and the guardian. That’s why I always strive to create a sense of comfort and trust from the very first consultation.
Q. What are the most common questions guardians ask during consultations?
Lee, Mi-Rae: The most frequently asked question is, “Will this really help my child grow?” Since growth hormone injections are different from typical medications, the decision to start treatment can be difficult, and the cost can also feel burdensome. Questions about the effectiveness of the treatment are the most common.
Next, questions like “How long will my child need to take this?” and “Are there any side effects?” often follow. Many guardians come after reading various stories on online communities or forums, which can sometimes cause anxiety due to inaccurate information. In those cases, I explain the facts based on real cases. I believe it’s important to clearly point out what is correct and what is not.
Q. What is the process of injection training?
Lee, Mi-Rae: The training is centered on hands-on practice so that guardians can confidently administer the injection themselves. We prepare the syringe and the actual medication, and practice in an environment that closely resembles the real injection setting. I explain each step of the process thoroughly, from start to finish, and provide repeated practice until the guardian feels comfortable and confident.
It’s especially important to create a practice environment that closely resembles the real situation, so guardians won’t feel overwhelmed when administering the injection to their child. We support them so they can carry on with the treatment confidently and calmly even after the training.
Q. How do you educate the children?
Lee, Mi-Rae: Most of the training is provided for guardians, but when a child wants to administer the injection themselves, we offer separate instruction on self-injection. This is usually the case with older elementary or middle school students. In these situations, we take a different approach than we do with guardians, guiding the child through the process step by step so they can handle the syringe safely and administer the injection accurately on their own.
Q. Is there a guardian you particularly remember?
Lee, Mi-Rae: There was one mother who had a deep fear of injections. She was very tense during the training and so anxious that she had trouble absorbing the explanations. Even so, I patiently repeated the instructions several times and helped her practice using a model. In the end, she successfully completed the training and overcame her fear enough to give the injection to her child herself. Watching her progress left a strong impression on me, and it became a truly memorable experience.
In this way, patient education nurses provide more than injection training. They offer thoughtful care that helps ease the anxiety and burden of guardians. A key part of their role is quietly offering comfort and encouragement to those who may struggle emotionally during the daily routine of treatment.
Now, let’s hear from a guardian who overcame a difficult time through sincere guidance and dedicated hands-on training, and is still continuing the treatment today.
Q. What concerns did you have before choosing growth hormone treatment for your child?
Guardian of Child A: Until around the age of nine, my daughter was growing taller than most of her peers, so I had no concerns about her height. But when she turned ten, she was diagnosed with early-stage precocious puberty at the hospital.
Following a specialist’s recommendation, we began treatment to suppress precocious puberty. That’s when my daughter’s growth noticeably slowed. Seeing her stop growing after years of steady development was a huge shock and left me feeling very confused. It was only later that I learned growth may slow after precocious puberty treatment, and that’s when I began considering growth hormone injections.
However, the information I found online and on YouTube only added to my confusion. There were many negative opinions about the treatment, including concerns about limited effectiveness, side effects, and the financial burden, which made the decision even more difficult. From a parent’s perspective, a child’s height is not just about appearance. It’s closely tied to their confidence and future. That’s why I had to be extremely cautious and spent a long time thinking it through.
Q. How did your thoughts on your child’s health care change after speaking with Nurse Lee, Mi-Rae?
Guardian of Child A: When our family first learned that we would have to administer the growth hormone injections at home, we felt overwhelmed and afraid. We were deeply worried about whether we, as non-medical professionals, could give the shot without causing our child pain. That’s when we were given the contact information for Nurse Lee, Mi-Rae, and we reached out to her with a sense of urgency. She kindly explained everything over the phone and later visited our home in person. She listened to us sincerely and carefully taught us how to give the injection with minimal discomfort, sharing practical advice based on various real-life cases. Most importantly, she guided us through repeated hands-on practice with the actual syringe, staying by our side until we were confident enough to do it on our own.
Through this process, our anxiety and burden naturally eased, and we are now continuing the treatment with a sense of stability. This experience helped us truly realize how powerful warm support and dedicated guidance from a professional can be.
Q. What impressed you the most during the training with the nurse?
Guardian of Child A: Nurse Lee didn’t just focus on explaining things to us as guardians. She approached the situation from both the child’s and the parent’s perspective. What impressed me most was the way she communicated on my daughter’s level. She genuinely listened and responded to everything my daughter said, and gently encouraged her to express her own anxieties.
After having a heartfelt conversation with the nurse, my daughter said, “Dad, I’ll take the injection. Talking with the nurse gave me the confidence to do it.” Hearing those words put me at ease, and I was truly touched.
Q. Since starting growth treatment, what positive changes have you noticed in your child or family’s daily life?
Guardian of Child A: My daughter is still shorter than her peers, but after starting growth hormone injections, she began to grow little by little. It seems she has noticed the change herself, as she now puts in more effort on her own. She tries to eat nutritious side dishes she used to avoid and even puts herself to bed earlier, saying, “Going to bed early helps me grow!” Seeing this, we, as parents, have become more attentive to her health. We now monitor her meals and daily habits together and cheer her on as a family. Through this experience, we’ve come to realize that growth hormone treatment isn’t just about physical height. It’s a journey that helps nurture our child’s heart and mindset as well.
Q. Do you have any words of advice for other guardians who are hesitant about starting growth treatment?
Guardian of Child A: The biggest supporter who helped us decide to start growth hormone injections was Nurse Lee, Mi-Rae. She has always been kind and gentle in response to all of our questions and worries, and she went beyond mere delivery of information by giving us advice that suited our situation. She particularly emphasized the importance of not missing the growth period, and helped us find the courage to move forward, even when we were hesitating due to concerns about side effects after bringing the medication home.
If you are considering growth treatment for your child, we highly recommend receiving consultation and training from LG Chem’s patient education nurses. We hope they will continue to support our child on her growth journey, and we would also like to express our sincere gratitude to LG Chem.
Thanks to the heartfelt testimonial, we could truly see how meaningful the role of patient education nurses is. So, how does Nurse Lee, Mi-Rae view her work?
Q. What led you to choose this role, and what do you find most rewarding about your work?
Lee, Mi-Rae: I enjoy talking with people. When I was working in the hospital ward, I had many opportunities to speak with patients and their guardians. But after moving to the operating room, those chances became rare, and I found it difficult. In that sense, my current role suits me well because I get to meet guardians directly and have meaningful conversations during consultations and training.
I feel most rewarded when guardians say things like, “Thank you for the detailed explanation,” or “That was really helpful” after the training. Sometimes I even receive text messages saying, “I really learned a lot,” or “Thanks to you, we were able to give the injection smoothly.” These words make me feel that I’ve truly helped someone and fill me with happiness and gratitude.
Q. What advice would you give to guardians who are concerned about their child’s growth?
Lee, Mi-Rae: Not every child needs growth hormone injections. However, if they do, it’s important to start treatment without delay. Having your child checked at a growth clinic once a year can also be a good approach. Rather than worrying based on information from the internet or advice from people around you, I strongly recommend getting a proper diagnosis and consultation from a medical professional first. That’s much more helpful.
Q. What goals or aspirations do you have in your role as a patient education nurse?
Lee, Mi-Rae: The role of a “patient education nurse” is still not widely recognized, and in reality, there are limited opportunities to work in this field in a professional capacity. I hope that in the future, environments where medical professionals can directly explain treatments and products to guardians will become more common, so families can have easier access to accurate information.
Growth hormone treatment is not just about helping a child grow taller. It’s a journey that builds confidence and brings hope and energy to a family’s daily life. As a patient education nurse at LG Chem, Lee, Mi-Rae continues her heartfelt work, not only explaining the treatment but also sharing in the concerns of guardians and offering courage to children.
LG Chem will continue to provide people-centered care, standing by our customers and supporting healthy growth together. We will always be there to cheer on children today and help prepare them for tomorrow.
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