SSU received a patient from another unit after having an invasive procedure. I had taken over the charge role after this patient. The primary nurse rang out that she needed the attending doctor paged. I paged the doctor and went to the patient's room. The patient had had a renal angiogram with access in her right groin. On arrival to SSU and from the report, the nurse was aware that this patient had a hematoma. During routine frequent vital sign monitoring and with the patient complaining of nausea then vomiting, the primary nurse was performing her assessments. This patient's condition began to rapidly decline. Blood pressures were dropping; hematoma increasing in size. The primary nurse was performing interventions and assessments, as was I, while requesting supplies.
When Angie heard a patient was in trouble, she stopped what she was doing with her patient assignment and immediately came to this patient's bedside. She jumped right in holding aggressive and much-needed pressure to this patient's right groin until the attending provider came to the bedside. Collaboratively, a rapid response was called. Even when this team arrived, Angie remained at the patient's bedside. Angie's expertise, support, and assessment skills were truly instrumental in saving this patient's life. She exceeded expectations by providing priority care to a patient who was near death. Angie assisted in inserting a second peripheral IV to aggressively hydrate this patient with LR IV boluses (each 1 liter bag wide open going into separate IV sites) and obtaining stat blood work, inserting a foley catheter, along with meeting patient's needs until this patient was safely transported to ultrasound with a float RN then transferred to CICU for closer monitoring.
Angie exceeded expectations as an expert clinical nurse. She never gave it a thought that she had her own patients to manage, only that this one patient needed care and together we would provide it. SSU does not experience patients with a rapid change in condition often (thankfully) but the prompt interventions, resource usage, and immediate action of Angie Vereshko assisted in saving this patient's life. I am certain this is one reason that makes Angie so special.