December 2020
5 Med-Surg
at UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital
UnityPoint Health - Finley Hospital
Yes, obvious compassion for patients is nothing new for this amazing team. While compassion for one another and other departments has always been there, never before has it been so evident.
5 Med-Surg and 5 North have encountered and learned and made changes, sometimes on a daily basis, to take care of COVID patients and do it as best as they can. They have educated one another and the patients and families to treat this disease unknown to us one year ago. They have worked to alter routines to improve care and do their best for their patients by sharing experiences as to what worked well and what did not.
They have been Leaders in this challenge. They have taken care of many critical patients. When ICU is full, the 5th floor keeps patients that may have been in ICU in pre-COVID days. The 5th-floor staff has risen to the challenge and done this very well. A big Kudos to Diane Asmussen and Claudia the Chaplain who have gone above and beyond to assist us.
The 5th-floor staff have worked extra shifts to have enough staff to care for patients and fill in when staff was being tested. Other staff have also helped out and have been amazed and impressed at the teamwork of the 5th-floor staff; also, how they work hard and keep a positive attitude and return the next day to work just as hard and keep smiling. You cannot see their smiles behind the masks, but you can see their caring eyes.
Compassion for the patients and coworkers is monumental to the 5th floor. Also for the poor families who cannot visit their loved ones. They call the families at least daily to update them.
Clinical skills and expertise is shown how they know when a patient's O2 sat are dropping and work closely with respiratory therapy and ICU when they need to be put on a ventilator. They have seen patients change in a hurry and have learned when to watch and when to act quickly.
5 Med-Surg and 5 North staff have fostered unity, owned the moment, championed excellence, and seized opportunities, that is why they deserve the DAISY Award for their unit.
***
Adaptability. Resilience. Compassion.
These are the words I think of when I think of this team of nurses, patient care techs, and unit clerks in the year 2020. This team has had a complete 180 of their daily work. In preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, this unit's staff worked diligently to ensure adequate supplies were available, room set up was complete, and the unit was organized in an efficient manner for workflows to function the best. Ensuring proper functioning of the rooms and equipment availability was of the utmost importance to ensure safe care for patients and there were hours upon hours put into these efforts by frontline staff.
In the early months of the pandemic, we all know things changed by the hour. The staff never once batted an eye at the continuously changing environments they were working in. They trusted in and stood up for our leadership, promoting that the safety and well-being of staff was indeed a priority. They continued to adapt hour by hour, day by day, and week by week. The team shared with each other their experiences of deteriorating patients and learned from one another, in order to continue providing the best care to achieve the greatest patient outcomes. The team has advocated tirelessly for their patients during these trying times.
The resiliency of staff working on this unit is nothing short of amazing. The exhaustion is real, both physically and mentally, here at the hospital and at home, but this team shows up every day with a positive mindset, ready to fight. They continue to make patients feel like they are the only patient each staff member is caring for. Physically, the movement and running are constant. Putting on and taking off PPE to enter and exit every single room, every single time, is physically demanding. Yet the staff continues to hold infection prevention practices in high regard. Patients are sicker and require more physical interventions, and mentally this is requiring incredibly high levels of critical thinking constantly. The staff goes home after their shift thinking about the people they cared for, which is nothing new in the world of nursing, but the unknown with this disease makes this natural practice even more weighing on the shoulders of us all. Many of these staff members are parents or grandparents of school-age children and, as we all know, the mental workload for them has dramatically increased as well.
The obvious component to all of this is compassion for the patients being cared for by this team. The team members have sat with numerous patients while they take their last breath when their families are unable to be by their side. They spend an incredible amount of time speaking with families over the phone, explaining situations, and educating on topics that most of us cannot fathom. They have helped patients celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, while their family's wave in tears from the parking ramp. The heaviness of grieving with patients through their own loss has occurred on more than one occasion. Staff have held hands and cried with patients who have lost their spouse, their parent, or other loved ones to this disease while they are sometimes just down the hall fighting themselves.
Yes, obvious compassion for patients is nothing new for this amazing team. While compassion for one another and other departments has always been there, never before has it been so evident. These stressful times have been met with many tears and emotions and the response from peers is always one of compassion and caring. There is no judgment, only empathy, and that truly represents a DAISY-worthy team.
***
I have worked on 5 Medical for almost 11 years now, for the past 7 years, I have been PRN. The staff nurses I have worked alongside have dealt with so many ups and downs throughout the pandemic. Recently, however, as we have seen a surge in COVID patients they have been short-staffed. They never complain and take each day in stride. I only work once a month and often have many questions. They are always willing to assist me even though they are also very busy. It's never been more apparent than right now how well they work as a team. They are truly there for the right reason, to provide the best outcome for every patient every time. The patients that are on the floor now are much sicker than they have been in the past. This team has lived up to the challenge of caring for these patients. There have been so many changes over the past 9 months and each day these nurses come to work not knowing what to expect. I feel such pride to know them and work with them.
They have been Leaders in this challenge. They have taken care of many critical patients. When ICU is full, the 5th floor keeps patients that may have been in ICU in pre-COVID days. The 5th-floor staff has risen to the challenge and done this very well. A big Kudos to Diane Asmussen and Claudia the Chaplain who have gone above and beyond to assist us.
The 5th-floor staff have worked extra shifts to have enough staff to care for patients and fill in when staff was being tested. Other staff have also helped out and have been amazed and impressed at the teamwork of the 5th-floor staff; also, how they work hard and keep a positive attitude and return the next day to work just as hard and keep smiling. You cannot see their smiles behind the masks, but you can see their caring eyes.
Compassion for the patients and coworkers is monumental to the 5th floor. Also for the poor families who cannot visit their loved ones. They call the families at least daily to update them.
Clinical skills and expertise is shown how they know when a patient's O2 sat are dropping and work closely with respiratory therapy and ICU when they need to be put on a ventilator. They have seen patients change in a hurry and have learned when to watch and when to act quickly.
5 Med-Surg and 5 North staff have fostered unity, owned the moment, championed excellence, and seized opportunities, that is why they deserve the DAISY Award for their unit.
***
Adaptability. Resilience. Compassion.
These are the words I think of when I think of this team of nurses, patient care techs, and unit clerks in the year 2020. This team has had a complete 180 of their daily work. In preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, this unit's staff worked diligently to ensure adequate supplies were available, room set up was complete, and the unit was organized in an efficient manner for workflows to function the best. Ensuring proper functioning of the rooms and equipment availability was of the utmost importance to ensure safe care for patients and there were hours upon hours put into these efforts by frontline staff.
In the early months of the pandemic, we all know things changed by the hour. The staff never once batted an eye at the continuously changing environments they were working in. They trusted in and stood up for our leadership, promoting that the safety and well-being of staff was indeed a priority. They continued to adapt hour by hour, day by day, and week by week. The team shared with each other their experiences of deteriorating patients and learned from one another, in order to continue providing the best care to achieve the greatest patient outcomes. The team has advocated tirelessly for their patients during these trying times.
The resiliency of staff working on this unit is nothing short of amazing. The exhaustion is real, both physically and mentally, here at the hospital and at home, but this team shows up every day with a positive mindset, ready to fight. They continue to make patients feel like they are the only patient each staff member is caring for. Physically, the movement and running are constant. Putting on and taking off PPE to enter and exit every single room, every single time, is physically demanding. Yet the staff continues to hold infection prevention practices in high regard. Patients are sicker and require more physical interventions, and mentally this is requiring incredibly high levels of critical thinking constantly. The staff goes home after their shift thinking about the people they cared for, which is nothing new in the world of nursing, but the unknown with this disease makes this natural practice even more weighing on the shoulders of us all. Many of these staff members are parents or grandparents of school-age children and, as we all know, the mental workload for them has dramatically increased as well.
The obvious component to all of this is compassion for the patients being cared for by this team. The team members have sat with numerous patients while they take their last breath when their families are unable to be by their side. They spend an incredible amount of time speaking with families over the phone, explaining situations, and educating on topics that most of us cannot fathom. They have helped patients celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, while their family's wave in tears from the parking ramp. The heaviness of grieving with patients through their own loss has occurred on more than one occasion. Staff have held hands and cried with patients who have lost their spouse, their parent, or other loved ones to this disease while they are sometimes just down the hall fighting themselves.
Yes, obvious compassion for patients is nothing new for this amazing team. While compassion for one another and other departments has always been there, never before has it been so evident. These stressful times have been met with many tears and emotions and the response from peers is always one of compassion and caring. There is no judgment, only empathy, and that truly represents a DAISY-worthy team.
***
I have worked on 5 Medical for almost 11 years now, for the past 7 years, I have been PRN. The staff nurses I have worked alongside have dealt with so many ups and downs throughout the pandemic. Recently, however, as we have seen a surge in COVID patients they have been short-staffed. They never complain and take each day in stride. I only work once a month and often have many questions. They are always willing to assist me even though they are also very busy. It's never been more apparent than right now how well they work as a team. They are truly there for the right reason, to provide the best outcome for every patient every time. The patients that are on the floor now are much sicker than they have been in the past. This team has lived up to the challenge of caring for these patients. There have been so many changes over the past 9 months and each day these nurses come to work not knowing what to expect. I feel such pride to know them and work with them.