Kerry Ivy
May 2021
Kerry
Ivy
,
BSN, RN
VA Bedford Healthcare System
Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital
Bedford
,
MA
United States
Kerry embodies what it means to be a team player and her respect and appreciation rallied staff to work as a unit, for she understands the value all members provide.
Kerry is a resource RN who since joining that role has made exceptional changes to the hospital. Not only does she provide unconditional support to the units she services, but she is also always available and receptive to any unit or nurse who needs her assistance. Kerry, along with her coworkers, has done many projects to better the VA environment and make nursing jobs easier. TIP of the week and how-to checklist are just some of these examples.
After leaving floor nursing to become a Resource RN, she has joined many committees and task forces to help continue to better improve the Quality of care delivered by the VA in her Resource compacity. She truly possesses a Nursing heart of gold as evidenced by the detail, care, and effort she places in all tasks that she does. While occupying the role as a resource nurse, covid-19 hit and she was one of the first staff members ready to sign up to work, serve, and help fight covid firsthand. She showed up without skipping a beat picking up her floor RN skills as if she never left. She quickly applied her assessment skills to help swiftly identify veterans who needed imminent care better provided in the acute setting and was able to assess, treat, and transfer many veterans to the critical setting where they were intubated or treated with more invasive measures. She educated her staff daily with the knowledge she possessed and once she was educated with new covid findings she punctually shared this knowledge with her fellow coworkers. She worked in multiple roles on the covid unit providing ADL care alongside NAs, acted as charge and med RN, and sometimes juggling multiple roles a shift.
Kerry embodies what it means to be a team player and her respect and appreciation rallied staff to work as a unit, for she understands the value all members provide. Kerry spent many hours holding a dying veteran’s hand and face-timing with their loved ones. She did all in her power to ensure no vet died alone and provided many hours of virtual or telephone communication to concerned family members trying to close the gap of the social isolation that greatly impacted the inpatients. Her unique knowledge as a resource nurse was a huge asset to the covid units and brought a sense of calm and security working alongside her.
An example of this was her knowledge in EKGs which many of the nurses never had the experience of doing or the skill was lost due to lack of use. EKGs were an essential aspect of the course of care provided on the covid unit. With that said we were isolated with no one coming to the unit to educate or help, thus having her there to teach and reteach staff saved valuable of time and prevented a delay in care. She was also able to fill a role that was missing for several weeks on the unit which was a phlebotomy skill. Many labs were required daily, and she was able to draw blood and place IVs which was another essential aspect of the covid care that she was able to provide, guide, and teach on. Kerry literally provided head-to-toe whole medical care that usually multiple staff members are required to perform during her time serving on the covid unit.
As one of her Fellow RNs, she provided me personally with the strength to get through a shift, a smile or laugh when needed to lift the spirits, a listening ear, an educational mind, and a friendship that is bonded in the sweat and tears given and taken from all who selflessly served during this pandemic. Her skill, heart, and manner are unmatched, and she truly is the perfect definition of what it means to be a DAISY recipient.
After leaving floor nursing to become a Resource RN, she has joined many committees and task forces to help continue to better improve the Quality of care delivered by the VA in her Resource compacity. She truly possesses a Nursing heart of gold as evidenced by the detail, care, and effort she places in all tasks that she does. While occupying the role as a resource nurse, covid-19 hit and she was one of the first staff members ready to sign up to work, serve, and help fight covid firsthand. She showed up without skipping a beat picking up her floor RN skills as if she never left. She quickly applied her assessment skills to help swiftly identify veterans who needed imminent care better provided in the acute setting and was able to assess, treat, and transfer many veterans to the critical setting where they were intubated or treated with more invasive measures. She educated her staff daily with the knowledge she possessed and once she was educated with new covid findings she punctually shared this knowledge with her fellow coworkers. She worked in multiple roles on the covid unit providing ADL care alongside NAs, acted as charge and med RN, and sometimes juggling multiple roles a shift.
Kerry embodies what it means to be a team player and her respect and appreciation rallied staff to work as a unit, for she understands the value all members provide. Kerry spent many hours holding a dying veteran’s hand and face-timing with their loved ones. She did all in her power to ensure no vet died alone and provided many hours of virtual or telephone communication to concerned family members trying to close the gap of the social isolation that greatly impacted the inpatients. Her unique knowledge as a resource nurse was a huge asset to the covid units and brought a sense of calm and security working alongside her.
An example of this was her knowledge in EKGs which many of the nurses never had the experience of doing or the skill was lost due to lack of use. EKGs were an essential aspect of the course of care provided on the covid unit. With that said we were isolated with no one coming to the unit to educate or help, thus having her there to teach and reteach staff saved valuable of time and prevented a delay in care. She was also able to fill a role that was missing for several weeks on the unit which was a phlebotomy skill. Many labs were required daily, and she was able to draw blood and place IVs which was another essential aspect of the covid care that she was able to provide, guide, and teach on. Kerry literally provided head-to-toe whole medical care that usually multiple staff members are required to perform during her time serving on the covid unit.
As one of her Fellow RNs, she provided me personally with the strength to get through a shift, a smile or laugh when needed to lift the spirits, a listening ear, an educational mind, and a friendship that is bonded in the sweat and tears given and taken from all who selflessly served during this pandemic. Her skill, heart, and manner are unmatched, and she truly is the perfect definition of what it means to be a DAISY recipient.