Jenica Barney, RN

Jenica had a medically complex patient that had been bouncing back and forth from the PICU and NTU. He had started to show subtle signs of deterioration on previous shifts. On this particular shift, right as the shift started, the patient threw a severe sepsis alert. Jenica promptly paged the neurosurgery team. They were offsite so we called a rapid response. Over the next two hours, Jenica and others did many things that were needed to take care of the patient. Jenica paid close attention to the patient to take care of him and keep close eyes on him. She did frequent neuro checks and vitals to maintain his safety.

Later in the shift, she noticed changes in the patient. She called the charge nurse to the bedside and expressed concerns about further decline. Jenica really paid close attention to the patient and noticed the subtle changes. She really went with her gut to make sure to take care of her patient. She wasn’t just checking off boxes and getting the required elements done. She was really taking care of her kid. She had a severe sepsis and two rapid responses that shift for this one patient. It was uncomfortable and stressful, but she chose to do that anyway because it was what the patient needed.

Jenica always follows her gut and really takes care of the needs of the patient first. This is not an isolated incident. Jenica does what is needed to take care of the whole family not just the patient. She treats the whole kid and not just what is broken or injured at the time. Jenica is a kind, caring, nurse that is also a fantastic resource to those around her. NTU is blessed to have Jenica as part of the team.