Andrew Stevenson, MSN, APRN, ACNP-BC, Travel at Home Nurse

As a nurse manager, I am periodically asked why I do the job I do, what gives me joy in my job, and what makes me keep coming back day after day. I tell them all the typical stuff: I love to help people, I like to make a difference. But my absolute favorite thing about my job is that I get to see growth and successes in those I manage. “To watch my baby birds jump out of the nest and not only fly!”

 I had the opportunity to see one of my former “baby birds” flying. My 89-year-old mother was admitted to the hospital with a “really good” ankle fracture, meaning she had to be transferred from a smaller hospital for the type of surgery that was required to fix her ankle. Being an Ortho nurse manager, I thought I had this down and knew exactly what the plan was going to be and how the course of her hospitalization would play out.

Unfortunately, I quickly realized that Mom’s heart was not cooperating with our plan. Mom had a history of stubborn AFIB, and whenever stressed, she typically responded with RVR. This admission was no different. So, when her heart rate was in the 150s and her BP tanked, I was not surprised that she was transferred to the Heart and Vascular ICU on SE4.

After getting her settled in her bed, I was invited back to her room and was greeted by Andrew Stevenson, RN. I knew Andrew, as he had started his career at MVH as a PCT on the Ortho unit, and I had previously been his nurse manager. Andrew greeted me and called me by name, which, to be honest, was really nice to have that personal connection in a land foreign to me.

In addition to a stubborn heart, Mom also had dementia. She actually carried out a conversation pretty well and was mostly appropriate in her responses, but her short-term memory was not so good. This became evident when she would ask the same question every minute or two and voiced the same response every time she was denied what she was asking for. As a retired nurse and mother to 14 children, my mom was not used to being told no and has never taken that well. She often tried to convince and barter for what she wanted.

God love Andrew. Every single time Mom asked her question, on repeat, every 2-3 minutes, all night long, Andrew responded the same way. Without a hint of frustration or irritation in his voice, he very kindly told her, “Sweetheart, it just is not possible to do that for you right now.”

I cannot tell you how much that meant to my family and to me to know that he showed her so much compassion and patience.

I also know that Mom was not his only patient and that he made two trips down to Medical Imaging so she could get two CT scans completed during his shift. He also hosted the ICU’s version of an ACT call, with a team of doctors and nurse practitioners invading her room while they assessed, critically thought through, and tried to problem-solve her symptoms and presentation.

During the night, Mom got an art line and a central line and maxed out 3 pressors to help maintain her BP before they found the right combination. And I am pretty sure that Andrew did not get lunch that night. But I never heard him complain as I continued to witness his responses to her in the same pleasant tone and demeanor all night long.

Unfortunately, Mom did not pull through this time, and she passed peacefully on SE4 the next evening. But I feel confident that she had top-notch skilled care the entire time she was at MVH.

While I know that Andrew and all his teammates have “mad” nursing skills, it was his bedside demeanor and displays of compassion that will forever stick with me and my brothers and sisters.

From an Ortho unit PCT while attending nursing school at Wright State University (if I remember correctly) to the calm, cool, and collected nurse on SE4, I feel blessed to have had a small part of his growth journey and would really like to nominate him for a much-deserved DAISY Award.

Andrew, keep doing what you are doing. You are pretty phenomenal at it.