Briana Johnsen
September 2021
Briana
Johnsen
,
RN
Surgical ICU
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Denver
,
CO
United States
Brie tirelessly stayed with them even off the unit when he became extremely unstable.
I am writing this nomination on behalf of the family of a patient that passed away from a devastatingly traumatic event. His family reached out to me with the desire to nominate Brie for this award after the exceptional care she gave to his children, ages 12 and 15, during the two days their dad fought for his life. I too witnessed her unwavering compassion for the whole family. Their father was so critical that there were often 3-4 nurses in the rooms, lots of procedures, equipment, noises, tubes, alarms, that were so overwhelming for them.
Brie literally took hours over the two days to spend with the kids explaining everything, answering their questions, sharing their memories, having them fill out the “get to know me” poster, encouraging them to talk to him and share their feelings. She tirelessly stayed with them even off the unit when he became extremely unstable. Their mother pulled me aside to let me know how much they appreciated her help and how much the kids looked up to her. She then reached out to me a few days after their father passed to let me know they wanted to nominate Brie. The compassion that Brie demonstrated is truly priceless and she clearly went even above our “above and beyond” and did what came naturally to her as a nurse, fellow human, caretaker, and mother.
Brie literally took hours over the two days to spend with the kids explaining everything, answering their questions, sharing their memories, having them fill out the “get to know me” poster, encouraging them to talk to him and share their feelings. She tirelessly stayed with them even off the unit when he became extremely unstable. Their mother pulled me aside to let me know how much they appreciated her help and how much the kids looked up to her. She then reached out to me a few days after their father passed to let me know they wanted to nominate Brie. The compassion that Brie demonstrated is truly priceless and she clearly went even above our “above and beyond” and did what came naturally to her as a nurse, fellow human, caretaker, and mother.