I do not believe this story can fully be appreciated without first painting the picture of a recent evening in my nursing career. Imagine it's 2100, the time where Medical-Surgical Nurses are finishing-up evening medication administration and getting their patients tucked-in for the night. As the unit facilitator, I am feeling pretty good about the unit for the evening—things seem as stable as they can be, I receive a phone call from a newer nurse, "I need help!" I enter the room and the patient is having a significant seizure, is all but exsanguinating from biting his tongue, and has no IV access. We call IV Team—in walks Alex.
Alex's calm demeanor modeled professionalism and quickly spread through to the team in the room in an otherwise hectic situation. Not only did he fulfill his duties and obtain a site, but he also assessed the room and saw where he could be of more assistance. Alex stated, "I have time, and I'd love to help! What can I do?" He then went above and beyond to help our staff clean this patient of incontinence, suction him, instinctively asking, "Do you think this patient will need another IV site? I can grab that quick!" To which he then assisted the phlebotomist by drawing labs from his second site obtained. He consistently sought out opportunities where he could help and was a vital part of this patient's care. I learned that his prior experience is in the ER at a different hospital.
Alex's excellent delegation, leadership, and collaboration led to phenomenal care for this patient. He spent ample time inside and outside of the room assisting all of the treatment team. It was incredible to watch this experienced nurse navigate this patient situation. I am so grateful to be called his peer. Alex is a true example of excellence