I was an inpatient on the fifth floor at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. I was admitted through the emergency room with nausea, vomiting and bloody, diarrhea and extremely low glucose levels. The minute I was presented to the ward these four nurses met me in the room as the transport technician brought me up from the emergency room. It was 4:30 AM very early in the morning. The nurses I have mentioned all immediately worked as a team. The charge nurse immediately started her assessment and welcomed me to the floor.  The other three nurses, who were working in tandem with other patients, were helping her get me admitted into my room and put me in my bed as fast as they could. The level of maturity and confidence these nurses presented themselves with was nothing I had experienced other than when I served with the United States Army as a nurse. One nurse did the assessment, another nurse got my vital signs, the other nurses I’ve mentioned above, help me get into a fresh gown, and asked if I would like something to eat, or snack on, for I was having trouble keeping my glucose levels up.  They checked my sugar levels with the machine and at that time my sugar levels were within range so I said I would eat breakfast in the morning.  The nurse assigned to me, got all the information from the other three nurses. She thanked them and told them they can go back to their patients. I have never felt more welcomed, or I’ve seen such a display of discipline, teamwork, and overall simple kindness. I had the opportunity to have each one of the nurses I mentioned take care of me during my four-day stay on the fifth floor in the Medical surgical ward. Each nurse was assigned to me each night. I was admitted on the fifth floor, and I came to respect and rely on their confidence, competence and confidence in their skills as a nurse taking care of pretty sick patients.

On the second night, I was on the floor, I had a diabetic crisis my sugars dropped extremely low 50 MG/DL. Nurse Brea Brinkman was assigned to me that night. She was also the charge nurse for the entire floor when my sugar levels were steadily dropping, and I was becoming incoherent and close to falling into a coma because of my low blood sugar. Nurse Brinkman got on her phone and immediately called the other nurses on the fifth floor to come to my room ASAP if they were not busy with their other patients. Nurse Brinkman immediately took charge of the situation and the other three nurses. I have mentioned walking to the room and was simultaneously each doing what they needed to do to help the other nurse get my critically, low blood sugars up before I went into a diabetic coma. I was a nurse for almost 35 years, most of it done with the United States Army and I have not seen such a wonderful display of teamwork since I left the military. I saw no one panic and everyone doing exactly what needed to be done to get my glucose levels up. My IV had infiltrated, so nurse Brinkman immediately was trying to get access to another vein in my arm, nurse Hannah bought in an amp of the D50 and had it ready for nurse Brinkman, to push as soon as she got a new IV line started. The other nurses were trying to talk to me to keep me calm and keep me awake and talking until they could get sugar into my system.  Each and every one of the nurses I have mentioned showed me, a level of competence I had not witnessed for eight years after I left the military.

I have multiple disease processes going on in my body, including Crohn’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, and severe neuropathy to my feet and chronic back and spinal issues. So, since I’ve retired, I have had multiple stays in hospitals. And I can honestly say I have never felt more safe and secure, and in good hands in my four day stay at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. I have personally thanked each and every one of that nursing team. However, I do strongly believe that when someone goes beyond the call of their duties to help another nurse with a critical patient, they should be commended.  In the military, I was trained to recognize people who stood out amongst their peers by giving them an award or decoration to wear on their uniforms. These four nurses that night brought me back to my military days in so many military hospitals, working as a nurse, and experiencing working with other students and wonderful nurses throughout my career.  

I would also like to call out Stacy Bertrand. She was the day nurse who took care of me for three days out of the four-day stay while I was up on the floor. She not only was one of the most organized, but extremely intelligent nurses I’ve had the privilege to take care of me while I was an inpatient. She was so kind to me and showed genuine concern for me! She helped advocate for me with the doctor that were taking care of me and probably saved my life. She has no idea - she doesn’t realize the impact she had on me.