January 2017 Honoree
angelika ashburn, RN, BSN
It was an extremely busy day in the PICU. Nursing assignments were heavy and we didn't have a unit circulator. Angel started her day by coming to PICU and taking one of our PICU patients for a stat head CT, only to find out she had severe increased ICP and was on the verge of herniation. When Angel returned to the unit, she found out that I was extremely short staffed and the bedside nurse, a float, wasn't able to care for this patient. I was in panic mode. Angel helped us intubate, push 3% Saline and then took the patient down to the OR for an emergency craniotomy!
A few hours later, we called a code on a different patient. Angel responded as part of the CCST and came to the patient's room. For the next 5 hours, she helped us code a dying baby who eventually didn't make it. She helped us do chest compressions, intubate, place a PICC line, insert chest tubes, get ultrasounds, place an arterial line and insert a subclavian line. Angel started epinephrine, norepinephrine, milrinone, precede and morphine drips. She gave potassium and magnesium infusions. She pushed 19 doses of epi, 18 doses of sodium bicarbonate, 8 doses of calcium chloride, 10 normal saline boluses, 4 doses of dextrose, 4 doses of insulin and she drew over 40 labs. Angel had to witness a mother's unbearable grief as her child was being resuscitated. Angel was one of the key players in the room that day and without her compassion, skill, and teamwork I can't even begin to imagine how much worse that day could have been. I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart! It's nurses like her who make this profession so trusted.
A few hours later, we called a code on a different patient. Angel responded as part of the CCST and came to the patient's room. For the next 5 hours, she helped us code a dying baby who eventually didn't make it. She helped us do chest compressions, intubate, place a PICC line, insert chest tubes, get ultrasounds, place an arterial line and insert a subclavian line. Angel started epinephrine, norepinephrine, milrinone, precede and morphine drips. She gave potassium and magnesium infusions. She pushed 19 doses of epi, 18 doses of sodium bicarbonate, 8 doses of calcium chloride, 10 normal saline boluses, 4 doses of dextrose, 4 doses of insulin and she drew over 40 labs. Angel had to witness a mother's unbearable grief as her child was being resuscitated. Angel was one of the key players in the room that day and without her compassion, skill, and teamwork I can't even begin to imagine how much worse that day could have been. I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart! It's nurses like her who make this profession so trusted.
Thank you, Angelika, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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