Joelle is an exceptional nurse who goes above and beyond with her patients. She has a great bedside manner and we often receive compliments from her patients about her care. Joelle is also a critical thinker and a patient advocate. Every day she goes the extra step to keep her patients safe, however, two recent events have come to mind.
On one occasion, Joelle had a patient who was recently a move out from the ICU. The patient was confused and that was not his normal. Joelle asked the physician for a cat scan of the head. The physician declined feeling it was more of an ICU-induced psychosis. This did not sit right with Joelle as the patient had been out of ICU for a while and she escalated the issue. A cat scan was ordered which revealed multiple lesions. This changed his whole course of care and an explanation for his confusion and helped get him the treatment he needed.
On another occasion, Joelle received an admission. The patient was admitted for CHF. While reviewing his labs and orders she noticed he was ordered for two units of blood, however, his hemoglobin was normal. Two units of blood for a patient with a normal hemoglobin and CHF can cause serious issues with fluid overload. Joelle called the physician to clarify. It turns out the order for blood was placed on her patient accidentally. So she actually saved two lives that day! By alerting the physician, the right patient was now getting an order for blood and her patient was being spared unnecessary fluids.
These are just two examples of what Joelle does every day. We are so lucky to have her on our team and she exemplifies a true DAISY Nurse.