I was completely blown away working with Anjelica Whitesell. We had a pediatric patient who decompensated very quickly in our department and needed intubation. The patient was 5-years-old, and mom was the only caregiver there. As the nursing staff and doctor prepared to intubate, Anjelica walked over to the mom, who was crying. She bent down to reach mom's eye level, who was sitting in a chair watching the staff move around the room and crying.
Anjelica took the time to let mom know what was happening with her daughter in terms she could understand. She then moved on to preparing for her daughter's intubation, letting her know what words she would hear staff say and alleviated any misconceptions she might have. For example, Anjelica talked to mom about how she might hear the staff talking about her daughter becoming paralyzed, this did not mean that her daughter is now paralyzed, just that the medication they use to intubate to make sure her body does not move is working. The best thing is that Anjelica always goes above and beyond to help patients and families understand what is happening while they are with us to help them cope, build rapport with patients/families and feel more in control in such a helpless environment at times of crisis.
I am honored to work by Anjelica's side. Her work every shift exemplifies what the DAISY Award stands for. This mother I talked about above, told me how helpful and comforting it was for Anjelica to take the time to make sure she understood what was happening. She had tears in her eyes expressing the gratitude she had for Anjelica during such a scary moment. Thank you, Anjelica, for always providing the best care for our patients and families!