I would like to nominate the following nurses for their contribution to the organizational strategy of "improving safety, quality, coordination, and experience of care". These Ambulatory Surgery/PACU nurses willingly assumed a different care role when asked to become ICU nurses so the organization could provide safe, quality care for 6 weeks in the PACU department.

We were experiencing a COVID surge and we did not have enough ICU beds or ICU nurses to provide safe, quality care to the critically ill COVID patient population. All hospitals around us did not have the ICU capacity either for us to transfer these patients. These nurses and their families made sacrifices so they could work 12-hour shifts, night shifts, and weekend shifts during the holiday season so these patients could receive care. This was not the role or the shift they had been hired to do. They had to quickly learn new drugs (sedation, paralytics, etc.) and ventilator management along with skills such as pressure injury prevention, CLABSI prevention, and fecal management care which were not the skills many of them were comfortable with or knowledgeable to perform. These patients received excellent patient care with patient outcomes of zero CAUTi, CLABSI, or falls.

These nurses also provided these patients and their families with a great experience. The patients and families were prevented from seeing each other due to the COVID restrictions. They coordinated FaceTime with families, family update calls, and even placed the phone next to the patient so the family could talk with their loved one. These patients, families, and the organization will be forever grateful for their willingness to step up and do whatever they could so safe, quality care could be delivered in less than an ideal situation. Thank you for the meaningful difference you made in the lives of these patients and families.