I have been a nurse for almost five years now, and the majority of my experience has been in floor nursing. In December, I transferred to the Emergency Department looking for opportunities to learn and grow. I quickly learned that ED nursing is very different from floor nursing, and I had so many questions. While everyone was extremely helpful, one of the nurses who stood out the most to me for her support and integrity was Michelle. She is extremely knowledgeable regarding everything ED and she is always willing to answer my questions and help with situations that I am unsure in. Whenever she is in charge, I know she has my back, and is a wonderful resource for any question I may have.
One situation that really shows what a great support she is happened just this week. I had been off for a few weeks due to a death in the family. On my first day back, I was caring for a critically ill patient whose blood pressure was low. We were struggling to find the cause of the patient's hypotension, and I was trying to figure out what to do. When I turned around, Michelle was there, putting an IV in my patient and calmly making suggestions of appropriate interventions. She came with me to take the patient to CT, helped me start drips to raise the patient's blood pressure, and made sure the patient's transfer to surgery was smooth. While I am confident in my patient care, I know I have so much to learn, and I am so thankful that Michelle was there for me and the patient that day and every day. She is a great example of Mount Carmel's values, especially in her care and support of patients and staff. She shows great integrity and I know we can always count on her. She is such a joy to work with.