It is not uncommon for many of the nurses in the Neuro ICU to sign up as primary caregiver for a specific patient. It is always a relief for these patients and their families to see the same nurse, especially in an environment where the attending physician and residents assigned to their cases rotates on a weekly basis. Lindsay Harrison is one of these nurses who routinely assigns herself to patients known to have very extended stays in the ICU. Even though these assignments can be draining for the nurse both physically and emotionally, Lindsay consistently provides attentive, professional, advocative care to our unique patient population and their families. She recognizes many of the challenges and hardships these patients and their families face with extended stays in an ICU setting.

There is one specific patient assignment for which Lindsay went far above and beyond her duties as a staff nurse. The patient was a gentleman in his early 40s afflicted with CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) which essentially paralyzed him from the neck down. He was ventilator dependent throughout most of the five months he spent in our ICU. Communicating was a challenge; Spanish was his first language, and he could only mouth words. He was able to use a soft-touch call bell by turning his head, and he would call multiple times every hour, mostly for suctioning. Understandably his situation was exacerbated with anxiety and depression. He was seen as "needy" by many of the staff. But Lindsay was steadfast in her care, taking him as her patient every day for the entirety of his ICU stay.

She learned many Spanish words and phrases, and made great efforts to communicate with him. Not surprisingly, the patient responded very well to Lindsay, which made communication between him and the medical team more productive. Lindsay was particularly effective in minimizing the using of pharmacological anxiolytics, helping him calm himself down, relax his breathing. Lindsay has a wonderful sense of humor, and always included him in all aspects of his care and in their general interaction, even though he could not respond through conventional means. His wife's work schedule often prevented her from being present at rounds, and Lindsay would always convey her concerns to the medical team and relay information from them to her, always including the patient in those conversations. Lindsay also maintained regular and consistent communication with the patient's sister who lived out of state.

There are no words that can duly describe Lindsay's impact on this patient and his family. Lindsay's enthusiasm and positive attitude played strongly in encouraging him to keep going, to overcome his anxiety, to push himself in his therapy. Lindsay also kept an ongoing report of his treatment and progress, as well as clear and consistent tips for other nurses to provide the best individualized care. When other nurses were taking care of him, the family would always ask, "When is Lindsay coming back?" She set a very high standard, and was selfless in her care of this patient.

For the better part of four months, this patient made absolutely no progress and his outcome was bleak. Lindsay never allowed that to diminish the positive energy she brought to his room every day, to "talk him off the ledge" and encourage his participation with therapy, to alert the medical team to his reaction to aggressive treatment. Eventually this patient was successfully weaned off the ventilator, left the regular floor for physical rehabilitation, and returned to have his tracheostomy decanulated, then he happily walked out of the hospital.

None of that could have happened without the invaluable support and care of his primary nurse, Lindsay Harrison.