Erica Avalos
November 2023
Erica
Avalos
,
RN, MSN, FNP-C
Cardiac Monitor Unit
Long Beach Medical Center (MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute)
Long Beach
,
CA
United States
The neurosurgeon thanked Erica for fervently advocating for this patient, so that the consult was done sooner. The patient ended up transferring to ICU-level care. She is the true definition of patient advocacy.
Erica Avalos is a CMU RN that is a strong patient advocate. I have worked with her for many years now and she really shines on our unit as a leader and team player.
Erica had a patient that she received from the ED in the morning, and she immediately paged doctors to notify them of his neuro status and possibly needing a level of care change. The neurosurgery consult had not been done yet, and she noticed that it needed to happen sooner than later. It had been quite some time, and the neurosurgery consult had not been completed yet. The patient was stable, but she had an inkling that he may need closer monitoring since the imaging results were still pending. She did not get confirmation from the attending that the consult was called, so she called the neurosurgeon to notify him of the new consult. She was getting the run around when the doctor that was consulted said that it is not his patient since another doctor had done a surgery 3 years ago on the patient. When the doctor who did a previous surgery 3 years ago said that it is not his patient, she then called the original consult back to notify him. The original consult could not come in that night, and she stressed that this patient should be seen tonight. She then got a confirmation that neurosurgery was going to send another doctor covering, so that the patient could be seen immediately after relaying the imaging results. She worked so hard at getting doctors to come in and really rallied for this patient. This patient's imaging resulted later in the day and actually should have been seen as critical. Erica really did her best to communicate this so that the patient could be seen sooner. A neurosurgeon came at change of shift, and this patient actually needed urgent surgery following the final results of the imaging. The neurosurgeon thanked Erica for fervently advocating for this patient, so that the consult was done sooner. The patient ended up transferring to ICU-level care. She is the true definition of patient advocacy. She stayed overtime to assist the neurosurgeon with orders and getting consents. She really did her best to get the patient the care he needed to prevent further decline in health status. She was on the phone all day to ensure that this gap in communication that caused delay in care that started in the ED did not continue on her watch. I admire her dedication and determination. She knew that the consult needed to be done quickly, and she did her best to get it done!
Erica had a patient that she received from the ED in the morning, and she immediately paged doctors to notify them of his neuro status and possibly needing a level of care change. The neurosurgery consult had not been done yet, and she noticed that it needed to happen sooner than later. It had been quite some time, and the neurosurgery consult had not been completed yet. The patient was stable, but she had an inkling that he may need closer monitoring since the imaging results were still pending. She did not get confirmation from the attending that the consult was called, so she called the neurosurgeon to notify him of the new consult. She was getting the run around when the doctor that was consulted said that it is not his patient since another doctor had done a surgery 3 years ago on the patient. When the doctor who did a previous surgery 3 years ago said that it is not his patient, she then called the original consult back to notify him. The original consult could not come in that night, and she stressed that this patient should be seen tonight. She then got a confirmation that neurosurgery was going to send another doctor covering, so that the patient could be seen immediately after relaying the imaging results. She worked so hard at getting doctors to come in and really rallied for this patient. This patient's imaging resulted later in the day and actually should have been seen as critical. Erica really did her best to communicate this so that the patient could be seen sooner. A neurosurgeon came at change of shift, and this patient actually needed urgent surgery following the final results of the imaging. The neurosurgeon thanked Erica for fervently advocating for this patient, so that the consult was done sooner. The patient ended up transferring to ICU-level care. She is the true definition of patient advocacy. She stayed overtime to assist the neurosurgeon with orders and getting consents. She really did her best to get the patient the care he needed to prevent further decline in health status. She was on the phone all day to ensure that this gap in communication that caused delay in care that started in the ED did not continue on her watch. I admire her dedication and determination. She knew that the consult needed to be done quickly, and she did her best to get it done!