John Polishan
July 2020
John
Polishan
,
RN
Critical Care Services
Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono
East Stroudsburg
,
PA
United States
When the monster COVID-19 struck Monroe County, a critical care surge plan was developed for our campus to help support care for the large volumes of critically ill patients projected to be admitted to our hospital. COVID-19 did not disappoint. LVH-P Critical Care volumes and number of positive intubated patients grew at rapid rates, often doubling our numbers in 24 hours. During times of crisis, it is imperative to have leaders who remain calm, respectful, trustworthy, accessible, available, and responsive to the needs of their staff as well as their patients. Without this type of a leader, the best made plans will fail. One leader stands out to me from the very beginning. This leader portrayed all of the qualities described above, especially availability and responsiveness to team members and patients.
The first critically ill patient was in his 40's, a healthcare worker from NYC who had a very poor prognosis. It was just a matter of time before he passed without a family member able to be at his bedside since visitation for COVID-19 positive patients was restricted. At the time, we did not have the technology available for patients to connect with their families via Facebook, WebEx, etc. Knowing how badly this patient's wife wanted to see her husband before he passed, this nurse director stayed late on a Friday night, called the patient's wife, and set up FaceTime with his personal phone. This director got a plastic bag, placed his personal phone inside the bag, and FaceTimed with the patient's wife first to be sure it worked. Then, the phone was brought to the bedside for this wife to see and speak to her husband for the very last time before he passed. The wife of the patient expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to see her husband even though he was intubated and could not speak. She was able to tell him how much she loved him and that it was ok for him to let go and be at peace.
This leader demonstrated true compassion, kindness, courage, and empathy for what this couple and their children were going through. This leader gave the gift of closure and acceptance to this loss. What an example for all leaders to follow. Since that first week to date, this director has worked every weekend, been available 24/7 to his team, and continued to provide the necessary support, trust, and respect needed for the team to continue to provide exceptional care to the large volumes of critically ill patients. This leader is an exemplar in practice and leadership. This leader is a HERO. This leader is John Polishan.
The first critically ill patient was in his 40's, a healthcare worker from NYC who had a very poor prognosis. It was just a matter of time before he passed without a family member able to be at his bedside since visitation for COVID-19 positive patients was restricted. At the time, we did not have the technology available for patients to connect with their families via Facebook, WebEx, etc. Knowing how badly this patient's wife wanted to see her husband before he passed, this nurse director stayed late on a Friday night, called the patient's wife, and set up FaceTime with his personal phone. This director got a plastic bag, placed his personal phone inside the bag, and FaceTimed with the patient's wife first to be sure it worked. Then, the phone was brought to the bedside for this wife to see and speak to her husband for the very last time before he passed. The wife of the patient expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to see her husband even though he was intubated and could not speak. She was able to tell him how much she loved him and that it was ok for him to let go and be at peace.
This leader demonstrated true compassion, kindness, courage, and empathy for what this couple and their children were going through. This leader gave the gift of closure and acceptance to this loss. What an example for all leaders to follow. Since that first week to date, this director has worked every weekend, been available 24/7 to his team, and continued to provide the necessary support, trust, and respect needed for the team to continue to provide exceptional care to the large volumes of critically ill patients. This leader is an exemplar in practice and leadership. This leader is a HERO. This leader is John Polishan.