This summer, Nurse Brie cared for a long-term (about 12 weeks total) patient on the CIRU. I started as a new grad nurse at the very end of July, and she was my primary preceptor. Although I was new, I had done the PEP program, my senior practicum, and been a care partner on the CIRU. All to say, I had seen many nurse/patient interactions on this unit.

Watching Brie care for this patient and his family was different than anything else I had seen before. He was a young patient with a life-altering spinal cord injury. Even though he was not neurologically compromised, he was ventilator-dependent and was unable to move from the neck down. He was extremely anxious, but Brie calmed him down like no one else. His mom trusted Brie with his life, which she saved quite literally more than once. At one point, this patient coded. Thinking quickly, Brie activated a code blue and got help to remove his halo vest before beginning CPR. The code was successful, and he was transferred to the PICU.

A few days later he came back to the unit, and he became Brie’s primary patient. While I was with Brie, we took him to get an MRI, which required a trach change as his current one was not MRI-safe. This was difficult because he was on c-spine precautions and trach changes made him very anxious. He would grind his teeth and bite his lips/tongue until they bleed. Once we got back to the unit, we had to change his trach back. The RT helped, but the new trach would not go back in. They tried the backup and that did not go in either, so they had to cover the trach site and Brie started bagging with a mask.

I had never been in an emergency situation like that before, but watching Brie made me understand why so many parents trust her with their kid's lives. She handled the situation with urgency and calmness, so much so that for the entire 20 minutes that she was bagging, the patient's O2 saturation did not drop below 100% - something so impressive it feels like it could not be feasible. I truly believe this could not have been possible without the trust, care, and dedication that Brie showed this patient and his family for the weeks leading up to this moment. 

Brie is an exceptional nurse, who cares deeply for her patients and their families. Although this is just a small example glimpse into the work she does as a bedside nurse, it exemplifies the strong connection she is able to form with her patients and their families, her effective team communication in emergency situations, and her ability to be a role model for all the staff who have the privilege of growing alongside her.