May 2022
Intensive Care Unit - Pods
at Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West
Nashville
,
TN
United States
Angela Owens, RN
Lesa Beasley, RN
Courtney Mantlo, RN
Tina McIntyre
Michelle Arnoe, RN
Vanessa Croney, RN
Angela Henry, RN
Madison Hill, RN
Saramma George, RN
Beverly Martin, RN
Therese Miller, RN
Joy Snyder, RN
Andee Ackerman, RN
Hannah Agbugnag, RN
Hannah Anderson, RN
Eldhose Baby, RN
Morgan Ballek, RN
Angelica, Bautista, RN
Redeat Bekele, RN
Chelsea Blinkhorn, RN
Hallie Brown, RN
Alyssa, Buckland, RN
Sarah Bunch, RN
Carisa Burr, RN
Julia Capuson, RN
Rachel Cavanah, RN
Alexa Chamberline, RN
Gary Chansler, RN
Maggie Colter, RN
Emily Colvard, RN
Kayla Davis, RN
Zoe Dinehart, RN
Taylor Dorn, RN
Jon Emling, RN
Brittani Erwin, RN
Osei Foushene, RN
Tanya Garvin, RN
Angie Gicewicz, RN
Kim Graham, RN
Joshua Griffin, RN
Leah Hammer, RN
Kimberly Harkness, RN
Shelbey Hicks, RN
Lauren Holston, RN
Emily Hudson, RN
Krystal James, RN
Shanna Jeffcoat, RN
Naomi Johnson, RN
Savannah Johnson, RN
Brian "Austin" Jones, RN
Maygan Lanigan, RN
Kelly Lewis, RN
Autry Lopez, RN
Fayth Lyng, RN
Jennifer Matteson, RN
Po Chu McDonald, RN
Vicki McCoy, RN
Macie Meeks, RN
Ashley Neal, RN
Tanner Overby, RN
Brandon Penning, RN
Denise Pfanner, RN
Vivian Pham, RN
Connie Pollard, RN
Maggie Pope, RN
Ling Qin, RN
Jordan Riggins, RN
Michael Sanborn, RN
Brittany Shelby, RN
Spencer Shelton, RN
Jayden Slater, RN
Brandon Smith, RN
Jennifer Smith, RN
Melissa Snyder, RN
Denise Soholt, RN
Joan Stevenson, RN
Lauren Uhls, RN
Zach Vaden, RN
Emily Vega, RN
Meg Waldrop, RN
Jena Walsh, RN
Georgina White, RN
Laura Wright, RN
Heath Yates, RN
Lisa Blanch, PCT
Angela Burr, PCT
Gus Elliot, RN
Shaffer Grubb, PCT
Kasey Hall, PCT
Yolanda Reed, UC
Lendora Smith, PCT
Sandra Strickland, UC
Carol Windemaker, PCT

 

 

 

I would like to nominate the entire ICU at Saint Thomas West, not solely the MICU or the PODS, but both together as a team. Over the last two years, that’s exactly what we have had to become. Despite being viewed as completely different departments, we had to join together in the face of a pandemic. As most at West know, the MICU was the first to convert and transform its units to treat the COVID population. There was fear but also hope as we began preparing for what was coming; which was taking a blind leap into the unknown. As time passed, the need for more COVID units emerged. 2A and 3B came next, followed by CDU and 6C. Though every nursing unit struggled, what the ICUs faced was shattering. We watched as COVID took countless lives and left paths of devastation, with what felt like reckless disregard for human life and the calling of healing. In rooms right across from one another, we watched as parents lost their children and spouses lost their other half. The heartbreak and anguish coming from FaceTime and phone calls, unable to visit as their loved ones succumbed to this virus.

While we were fighting the waves of COVID with the rest of the world, we experienced a loss of our own. The type of loss we endured is difficult to put into words and will probably only be truly understood by those that felt it. The PODs lost a leader to the very virus we had been battling. We would join in the hall outside his room to pray, to plead for his survival, and for strength for his caregivers. The nurses fought tirelessly and courageously for his life but were ultimately defeated. After that tremendous loss, we continued to band together to support each other. But in truth, we were suffocating, not just from the respirators and layers of PPE, but from the grief that was welling up inside us.


Then, when we thought we couldn’t survive any longer, we were hit with the horrific and senseless killing of one of the sweetest souls I had ever met. So now, just like the PODs, the MICU faced a debilitating loss. And in turn, they were there for us.
Not only did we witness loss of our patients, we felt it deeply, and it was immeasurable. Even when we thought we couldn’t make it ourselves, we still had to be there for the patients fighting for their own lives. We still cared for those that were sick and fought the virus that had taken so much already. We had to provide strength for others while enduring our own struggle. We gave it our all even when we felt there was nothing left to give. On days when it seemed like all faith was lost, we would find it in one another. We had to come together, and though many will never know the extent of what we did, we made a difference. As Christopher Reese said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to preserver and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, I think we did just that.


To me, these units encompass each of the core values and lived the mission statement of Ascension Saint Thomas. I hope that everyone knows that, although we felt immense defeat, our story isn’t over.
Intensive Care Unit - Pods
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