Marla Winn is truly an amazing person. She is incredibly hardworking, unendingly positive, and wildly compassionate. I have been impressed by Marla on multiple occasions; however, one situation stands out above all the rest. Marla was the primary nurse for a critically ill infant in the Emergency Department. Marla had previously taken care of this infant a few months prior and was familiar with the infant's family and the seriousness of the patient's illness. Marla did a great job re-introducing herself to the family and talking them through what was going on with their infant and the plan to transport the infant to Riley.
Once the Riley flight crew arrived and began to prep the infant for transport, the infant went into cardiac arrest. Marla immediately took charge of the code as the scribe. She was calm, collected and focused. She did an incredible job keeping the team on the ACLS protocol, communicating orders, and keeping detailed notes. This was especially impressive since there were three different groups involved (ED provider/nurses, pediatric provider/nurses and Riley Air Transportation Team) and the family was present in the room. Marla was the solid foundation of the team. The code lasted for almost an hour; however, the infant did not survive.
I was truly touched by how much courage and composure it took to stay calm in such a chaotic and dreadful situation. I cannot even imagine what Marla went through emotionally to stay focused in this situation, especially since she was currently pregnant with her first child. At no point did Marla let her emotions overcome her and distract her from the job at hand. This was by far one of the most well-run codes I have been too. I am incredibly thankful Marla was there to provide solid leadership in this situation. She is an incredible asset to the Emergency Department.