Beth provided exceptional care to a patient in the CICU on a day where unforeseen circumstances led to abrupt and frequent changes in nursing care of a medically complex patient. The patient in question was a little girl who was the very recent recipient of both a liver and lung transplant. This little girl had multiple medications, multiple labs, delirium, unstable blood sugars, and was also dealing with anxiety and discomfort.
Unfortunately, her original nurse had to leave work unexpectedly to care for her ill child. The nurse who took over for her also ended up leaving for the same reason, leaving a third PICU nurse to care for the child at the end of the day. Beth was working as the STAT nurse on this day and provided extensive help to all three of the nurses throughout the day in order to keep this child safely in bed, she was a high fall and injury risk due to her delirium, and caught up on frequent labs, medications, and bowel irrigations.
Beth provided safe and compassionate care for a patient by creating continuity in unforeseen staffing circumstances which resulted in multiple handoffs and reports of a complicated patient. She patiently assisted a confused and medically complex patient, providing reassurance and assistance to the little girl and her family. She was a true team player, helping three different nurses stay caught up and ensuring that patient care was as seamless as possible, regardless of unexpected staffing challenges.