April Swiatowiec
August 2024
April
Swiatowiec
,
RN
Vascular Access Team
Ascension Saint Alexius in Hoffman Estates
Hoffman Estates
,
IL
United States
April's instinctive selflessness is a credit to our profession, and our entire community of patients and caregivers is very lucky that people like her become RNs.
The quiet sense of order and calm in our units can be misleading to visitors, but extraordinary things take place all the time. Quite often it's because a really great nurse has done something exceptional - only no one was around to notice. That didn't happen this time, and one of our RNs was caught fair and square doing something wonderful. Her name is April Swiatowiec, and we wish to show her how proud we are of what she did. Here's what happened.
April is on our Vascular Access Team, making her a specialist in delicate intravenous procedures, and she has a sister-in-law who is also an RN here, who works in our Emergency Department. Not long ago, April's sister-in-law was attempting to treat a patient whose septic state was deepening into septic shock. Both conditions are very serious, but septic shock will result in damage to multiple organs and can even produce a fatal result. To prevent those dire outcomes, the patient must be treated with an IV solution of fluids and antibiotics - but this patient's veins were so very small that a phlebotomist using tiny butterfly needles could barely draw blood. Other RNs tried and failed, as did an attempt using ultrasound. So, despite the fact that it was April's day off, the sister-in -law texted her for expert advice.
And it was April's expert opinion that days off don't matter a bit, and she drove straight over to the Emergency Department to perform the procedure herself. The last we heard, the patient was stable, and we think (but we're not sure) April resumed what was left of her day off.
According to her sister-in-law, "April exemplifies what it means to be a nurse. I adore her, and I'm lucky we're family. And although they may not know it, her patients are lucky too. This one in particular."
Award stories like this offer mere glimpses into careers steeped in praiseworthy acts and moments of great fulfillment. April's instinctive selflessness is a credit to our profession, and our entire community of patients and caregivers is very lucky that people like her become RNs.
April is on our Vascular Access Team, making her a specialist in delicate intravenous procedures, and she has a sister-in-law who is also an RN here, who works in our Emergency Department. Not long ago, April's sister-in-law was attempting to treat a patient whose septic state was deepening into septic shock. Both conditions are very serious, but septic shock will result in damage to multiple organs and can even produce a fatal result. To prevent those dire outcomes, the patient must be treated with an IV solution of fluids and antibiotics - but this patient's veins were so very small that a phlebotomist using tiny butterfly needles could barely draw blood. Other RNs tried and failed, as did an attempt using ultrasound. So, despite the fact that it was April's day off, the sister-in -law texted her for expert advice.
And it was April's expert opinion that days off don't matter a bit, and she drove straight over to the Emergency Department to perform the procedure herself. The last we heard, the patient was stable, and we think (but we're not sure) April resumed what was left of her day off.
According to her sister-in-law, "April exemplifies what it means to be a nurse. I adore her, and I'm lucky we're family. And although they may not know it, her patients are lucky too. This one in particular."
Award stories like this offer mere glimpses into careers steeped in praiseworthy acts and moments of great fulfillment. April's instinctive selflessness is a credit to our profession, and our entire community of patients and caregivers is very lucky that people like her become RNs.