Lauren Orbeck
June 2021
Lauren
Orbeck
,
RN, BSN
ICU
Wellstar Douglas Hospital
Douglasville
,
GA
United States
She consistently utilized critical thinking skills, as well as professional autonomy to make the best possible decisions for her very ill patient.
Lauren Orbeck has been such an amazing asset to our unit and facility. However, on this particular day, her exemplary nursing and human skills shined brightly for many to see. Lauren was taking care of a very sick COVID+ patient, who required a vast amount of attention. In addition to this task, Lauren was precepting a new graduate RN as well. Throughout the shift, I observed Lauren performing detailed assessments of her patient’s presenting situation. She consistently utilized critical thinking skills, as well as professional autonomy to make the best possible decisions for her very ill patient. Lauren collaborated holistically with the entire multidisciplinary care team to form a comprehensive treatment plan for the patient. Considering how critical this patient was presenting; his wife was allowed at the bedside for decision-making purposes. Lauren displayed compassion, empathy, and understanding towards the patient’s spouse. The family would call the ICU and ask to speak directly to Lauren, even during her off shifts. As the patient’s condition began to deteriorate, he required manual proning. This patient was particularly large. However, the decision was made to manually prone, and transition the patient to a roto-prone bed after arrival. Lauren and the ICU team manually proned the patient, only to discover the roto-prone bed arriving minutes later. Lauren did not complain at all. She made the statement “this bed will give my patient the best chance for survival, so, let’s do it.” In addition, Lauren also received praises from the Emory ECMO team for being very prepared before the cannulation of her patient. I could go on and on, regarding how great this nurse is. We are truly blessed to have her as a part of our team.