Michael Mikesch has been the Charge Nurse in the Emergency Department at LPMC for the last seven years. Michael always knew that he wanted to be in a profession where he could help people, but it wasn’t until he heard the ER nursing stories from his favorite uncle that he knew his career was to be as a nurse. He has been a nurse for 13 years, all of which have been in the ER.

JC has witnessed many interactions of Michael and his patients they are lucky to be under his care. However, one of his recent interactions truly depicts what a DAISY nurse is. It was a few months ago during the holiday season, and it was a busy evening in the ED. The call came in by Rowlett EMS that they were bringing a 40 something year old Caucasian male that was a suicide attempt. As Michael normally does, he took the ambulance assignment in one of his rooms. (The charge nurse carries a five bed assignment just like the other nurses, and Michael feels that it is better to take the ambulances himself as much as possible to minimize the extra load on the other nurses.) The patient arrived and everyone went into the room to help get him settled and to assist the doctor and Michael if needed. The rest of the ED staff left the room once things were done, but Michael stayed behind. A few minutes went by, and JC re-entered the room and witnessed a truly caring and compassionate exchange between Michael and this patient. The man was in a very low place in his life. Michael could have easily accomplished the nursing tasks at hand, told the patient things would be “fine” and that he and/or the doctor would be back. He could have been like many people in society and he could have judged the man for attempting to take his own life due to depression. However, that is not what Michael did. Instead, he stood in the room with his hand on the patient’s shoulder and listened to him. Mike was kind, and his words were compassionate and encouraging. It was obvious to the patient and to JC that Michael cared. He did not rush out of the room because his rooms were full; he treated this man with dignity and respect.

LPMC is fortunate to have Michael as a nurse and even more specifically as the ED Charge Nurse. Michael is well respected among the ED Directors, ED physicians and staff. He brings calmness to the department. Michael never gets uptight and he runs the department at night in such a manner that the Director never worries when she leaves for the night. He is a team player and always helps the other staff members on the team. Michael will do whatever is needed…. helping other nurses with their patients, transporting patients when admitted, emptying the trash and sweep the floor, or anything that needs to be done. Michael makes sound decisions that are always in the best interest of the patient and LPMC. In fact, JC, the ED Director jokes with him that if the building collapsed, he would handle it and she would only find out when he called her in the morning.

In Michael’s 7 years at LPMC he has never missed a scheduled day of work. He drives 2 hours round trip every day from his home up north to LPMC. He passes five hospitals to get to LPMC, when you ask Michael why he drives so far to work he simply replies in his quiet laid back manner….”I like Lake Pointe and the people I work with.”