To best understand the impact and resiliency of this team it is important to know the history of the unit. The unit opened in 2018 as a Neuro Trauma Unit and transitioned to a medical services/COVID unit during the pandemic. The Medical Services Team became pioneers in taking care of those COVID patients that did not require ICU care. Initially, they took care of patients until they required 15 liters on a non-rebreather but they worked closely with our respiratory team, stepped out of their comfort zone, and took on the challenge of keeping these patients on the unit to free up ICU beds for the sicker patients. Becoming a stepdown unit for the COVID population overnight. Heated High flow, vapo-therm, and BiPAP became constant and necessary tools for their daily jobs.

The Medical Service team dedicated themselves to their patients and families who were often not allowed to even visit on be with their loved ones. They bonded with both their patients and became their family since the family could not be with them. The team members spent hours connecting with friends and families who were concerned, easing their anxiety. They felt losses deeply and celebrated the wins genuinely. What is most admirable about the Medical Services Team is that they met this challenge without fear or complaints. They were passionate and invested in this patient population. Today this unit’s primary focus has moved to medical services, the majority of the nurses on this team are young and have only taken care of COVID patients so there are new skills to learn, and once again they are embracing change.

This DAISY Team has once again had to pivot and adapt to caring for a diverse group of medical patients. This team has relied on and empowered each other to learn new diagnoses and support each other through yet another learning curve. A common phrase you hear on the unit is “I love our team.” Through their shared governance structure, this team decided to incorporate patient care techs into the team and transition to a nurse to patient ratio of 6:1. This team has a vision, they know that they can do anything they set their mind to. This unit is kind and welcoming to float pool staff and travelers, they welcome colleagues from other units with open arms and are willing to provide feedback and guidance as guardians of the unit’s culture. This unit was home to three DAISY award nominees in 2021. The employee engagement scores for the unit increased by 20% between May of 2021 and October and they were the highest-ranking nursing unit for meaningful conversations.