Christina DeKarski
February 2022
Christina
Dekarski
,
BSN, RN, CPN
Scottish Rite PICU
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta
,
GA
United States
Had Christina not trusted her nursing instincts and followed up for both patients, the outcomes would've been much different.
This nurse goes above and beyond for her patients when she feels as if she's not being heard when it involves their care. I have witnessed her advocate for the appropriate care of her patients on more than one occasion. There are two examples that truly make her a DAISY Nurse.
The first happened months ago. We had a patient in the PICU who was fatally injured by a gunshot wound to the head. The physician felt as if all hope was lost so didn't want to start the patient on a blood pressure medication to sustain life. This nurse did not feel this was the correct decision and expressed her opinion multiple times to the charge nurse and to the physician. She repeated over and over that the patient did not have a DNR status so ethically we needed to start the medication. Everyone felt as if all hope was lost, but she would not give up. She expressed that hope may be lost for the patient but that the family may donate and we were not doing the right thing. The physician did eventually start the medication. Thankfully he did! The patient's family donated her organs and multiple families were helped due to the donation.
The second example is that there was a meningitis patient for whom this nurse was providing care. The child started vomiting blood at the beginning of the shift. She called the nurse practitioner to the bedside to attempt to get help for the patient. She was told to watch the patient. She expressed her uneasiness and said the patient was not the same as she had been during previous shifts. Throughout the night, she continuously called with every status change. She even mentioned the patient's status change in rounds and was once again told to watch the patient. Around 3:00 am the patient was no longer responding appropriately. She asked the mom if that's how the patient acts when she is sleepy and was told no. She called the provider once again to no avail. She then called a consulting team to request orders to obtain the patient's CT early, she was given permission to go and before she returned to the unit, she was called. The patient had cerebral edema with pending herniation. There were many interventions once they arrived including emergency surgery.
Had she not trusted her nursing instincts and followed up for both patients, the outcomes would've been much different. She was able to put her feelings to the side and advocate tirelessly for her patients. This nurse’s excellent nursing skills should be what we all strive for on a daily basis. Her willingness to advocate for her patients even when she has personal risk is what providing the "Best Care" is all about. Thanks to her nursing skills, families were able to receive a much-needed transplant AND a family has a better chance of taking their daughter home!
The first happened months ago. We had a patient in the PICU who was fatally injured by a gunshot wound to the head. The physician felt as if all hope was lost so didn't want to start the patient on a blood pressure medication to sustain life. This nurse did not feel this was the correct decision and expressed her opinion multiple times to the charge nurse and to the physician. She repeated over and over that the patient did not have a DNR status so ethically we needed to start the medication. Everyone felt as if all hope was lost, but she would not give up. She expressed that hope may be lost for the patient but that the family may donate and we were not doing the right thing. The physician did eventually start the medication. Thankfully he did! The patient's family donated her organs and multiple families were helped due to the donation.
The second example is that there was a meningitis patient for whom this nurse was providing care. The child started vomiting blood at the beginning of the shift. She called the nurse practitioner to the bedside to attempt to get help for the patient. She was told to watch the patient. She expressed her uneasiness and said the patient was not the same as she had been during previous shifts. Throughout the night, she continuously called with every status change. She even mentioned the patient's status change in rounds and was once again told to watch the patient. Around 3:00 am the patient was no longer responding appropriately. She asked the mom if that's how the patient acts when she is sleepy and was told no. She called the provider once again to no avail. She then called a consulting team to request orders to obtain the patient's CT early, she was given permission to go and before she returned to the unit, she was called. The patient had cerebral edema with pending herniation. There were many interventions once they arrived including emergency surgery.
Had she not trusted her nursing instincts and followed up for both patients, the outcomes would've been much different. She was able to put her feelings to the side and advocate tirelessly for her patients. This nurse’s excellent nursing skills should be what we all strive for on a daily basis. Her willingness to advocate for her patients even when she has personal risk is what providing the "Best Care" is all about. Thanks to her nursing skills, families were able to receive a much-needed transplant AND a family has a better chance of taking their daughter home!