Michele Martin
December 2021
Michele
Martin
,
RN
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Ochsner Medical Center- Main Campus New Orleans
New Orleans
United States
When Michele is in charge, I know she will be not only an immense resource for me during my shift but more importantly a supportive friend.
Michele is one of our OC's/charge nurses. We came into a whirlwind of a shift one day. We're chronically short-staffed and the unit was completely full, and nurses were being stretched thin. One nurse had two patients that were both very sick and very busy. Michele took it upon herself to become the bedside nurse of the less critical patient. However, this patient was still very busy so Michele being the incredible leader that she is took care of this patient, helped to extubate this patient, comforted the parents, and was still able to check on the rest of her nursing team and provide a helping hand to several other very critical patients at the time.
With impeccable communication, she was able to communicate with intensivists to get things done at specific times to make things a little less hectic for her nurses. She delegated whatever she could to the ancillary staff with ease. Although we typically value a "hands-free" charge nurse Michele makes it seem so effortless when she's helping with bedside care and leading the pack. She truly is a magnificent asset to this team, and we are so incredibly grateful for her ability to juggle the craziness of this busy unit and still take care of her team with grace.
***
As a newer nurse working in the Pediatric ICU, I found myself packing a suitcase to work my first Hurricane on Team A. Looking back on my week at the hospital I can confidently say our team was in the best hands with Michele as our fearless leader. Her calm demeanor allowed her to care not only for our patients and their families but also for her coworkers during the most stressful times. Michele's ability to lead with compassion and composure during Hurricane Ida is merely one example of how she continuously invests in our unit and especially in her fellow nurses. Whether she is physically present on the unit or off the clock, Michele constantly advocates for the well-being of the nurses she leads. Through her leadership meetings and in her interactions with different levels of management, Michele acknowledges the unique challenges of our unit to create a better work environment for all of us.
When Michele is in charge, I know she will be not only an immense resource for me during my shift but more importantly a supportive friend.
With impeccable communication, she was able to communicate with intensivists to get things done at specific times to make things a little less hectic for her nurses. She delegated whatever she could to the ancillary staff with ease. Although we typically value a "hands-free" charge nurse Michele makes it seem so effortless when she's helping with bedside care and leading the pack. She truly is a magnificent asset to this team, and we are so incredibly grateful for her ability to juggle the craziness of this busy unit and still take care of her team with grace.
***
As a newer nurse working in the Pediatric ICU, I found myself packing a suitcase to work my first Hurricane on Team A. Looking back on my week at the hospital I can confidently say our team was in the best hands with Michele as our fearless leader. Her calm demeanor allowed her to care not only for our patients and their families but also for her coworkers during the most stressful times. Michele's ability to lead with compassion and composure during Hurricane Ida is merely one example of how she continuously invests in our unit and especially in her fellow nurses. Whether she is physically present on the unit or off the clock, Michele constantly advocates for the well-being of the nurses she leads. Through her leadership meetings and in her interactions with different levels of management, Michele acknowledges the unique challenges of our unit to create a better work environment for all of us.
When Michele is in charge, I know she will be not only an immense resource for me during my shift but more importantly a supportive friend.