Bridget Reese
May 2021
Bridget A
Reese
,
BSN, RN, CPN
Surgical Care Unit
Children’s National Hospital
Washington
,
DC
United States
Bridget sat with and comforted her, allowed her to vent frustrations with their stay, her lack of understanding about her daughter’s condition, and how desperate she was for answers.
From the moment the pandemic hit the Washington, DC area- the Surgical Care Unit hit the ground running with an unexpected transition from, not only changes to our everyday unit, but to also becoming the hospital’s Special Isolation Unit (SIU). Bridget had just about 6 months of experience as a nurse when she bravely took the call to care for COVID patients at the beginning of the pandemic when it was all still so new, so unknown, and so worrisome. Bridget, in particular, was one of the nurses who voluntarily cared for these patients from the very beginning by requesting to work specifically in the SIU and began actively learning the protocols and precautions the institution had made.
Bridget's care on the isolation unit on one particular shift stands out as exemplary. Bridget was the only nurse on SIU and I was the PPE observer. She began her shift with 3 patients. Soon after beginning her shift, she transferred one patient to another floor as they were de-escalated, and she discharged another patient home. Not long after those transitions, she accepted a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) transfer COVID positive patient who, upon her thorough assessment, had some concerns for changes in mental status based on the report she had just received from the PICU. The patient’s mom shared the concerns for the change in the patient’s baseline. Bridget immediately escalated to the team and ultimately called an RRT. The patient quickly went down for a STAT CT and was transferred back to PICU for closer monitoring. The patient’s mother was understandably very upset and concerned. Throughout the mother’s emotional breakdown while the patient went to CT scan, Bridget sat with and comforted her, allowed her to vent frustrations with their stay, her lack of understanding about her daughter’s condition, and how desperate she was for answers. Bridget answered all the mother’s questions that she could, and then personally escorted her back to the PICU when the patient returned to her room. Bridget passed along the mother’s frustrations to the PICU team.
This compassion she showed the mother who was unable to have any other support system in the hospital, undoubtedly, made a big difference in their overall hospital stay. Bridget didn't miss a beat when she returned to the SIU and learned that there was a patient on another unit who incidentally tested COVID positive and would soon be headed over to SIU. Before the end of the shift, Bridget also got a COVID positive direct admission. It was the way that Bridget handled herself during all the chaos that stood out the most. She remained positive, focused, and cared for each patient, despite how busy she and her ever-changing assignment were. Her time management skills and prioritization of tasks kept her flowing seamlessly even when things did not go as expected and she did not rush any of her interactions. She picked up on subtle changes in her patient’s status and escalated quickly, which can be difficult when being pulled in many directions and being slowed down due to isolation protocols. Bridget has shown and continues to undoubtedly show care, compassion, and commitment to her patients and families on SCU/SIU- even under the immense pressures of a, particularly busy shift.
Bridget's care on the isolation unit on one particular shift stands out as exemplary. Bridget was the only nurse on SIU and I was the PPE observer. She began her shift with 3 patients. Soon after beginning her shift, she transferred one patient to another floor as they were de-escalated, and she discharged another patient home. Not long after those transitions, she accepted a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) transfer COVID positive patient who, upon her thorough assessment, had some concerns for changes in mental status based on the report she had just received from the PICU. The patient’s mom shared the concerns for the change in the patient’s baseline. Bridget immediately escalated to the team and ultimately called an RRT. The patient quickly went down for a STAT CT and was transferred back to PICU for closer monitoring. The patient’s mother was understandably very upset and concerned. Throughout the mother’s emotional breakdown while the patient went to CT scan, Bridget sat with and comforted her, allowed her to vent frustrations with their stay, her lack of understanding about her daughter’s condition, and how desperate she was for answers. Bridget answered all the mother’s questions that she could, and then personally escorted her back to the PICU when the patient returned to her room. Bridget passed along the mother’s frustrations to the PICU team.
This compassion she showed the mother who was unable to have any other support system in the hospital, undoubtedly, made a big difference in their overall hospital stay. Bridget didn't miss a beat when she returned to the SIU and learned that there was a patient on another unit who incidentally tested COVID positive and would soon be headed over to SIU. Before the end of the shift, Bridget also got a COVID positive direct admission. It was the way that Bridget handled herself during all the chaos that stood out the most. She remained positive, focused, and cared for each patient, despite how busy she and her ever-changing assignment were. Her time management skills and prioritization of tasks kept her flowing seamlessly even when things did not go as expected and she did not rush any of her interactions. She picked up on subtle changes in her patient’s status and escalated quickly, which can be difficult when being pulled in many directions and being slowed down due to isolation protocols. Bridget has shown and continues to undoubtedly show care, compassion, and commitment to her patients and families on SCU/SIU- even under the immense pressures of a, particularly busy shift.