The Nurses of 8ICU - RRUCLA
May 2022
The Nurses of 8ICU - RRUCLA
8ICU
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States
The Nurses of 8ICU
With the help of physical therapy, the patient was able to stand and share his vows with his wife.
The liver transplantation process for patients and families is a long, arduous road filled with uncertainties. Every staff member on this unit has displayed extraordinary strength, dedication, and fortitude in their efforts to care for critically ill patients and their families. In one example, a patient had received a liver transplant and a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft and endured multiple life-threatening obstacles in recovery. 8ICU nurses took quick initiative, and looked beyond the seemingly endless medical obstacles, working tirelessly with physical therapists and restorative care assistants to mobilize the patient every shift. The patient was able to walk, and after one and a half years in the ICU, was able to be discharged to an acute rehab unit.
As another example, 8ICU nurses and restorative care assistants created a mobility pathway for long-term patients, and this pathway continued to be used to successfully allow critically ill individuals to rehabilitate. With the coordinated and specialized efforts of the nurses, one young female liver disease patient who had suffered an unfortunate brain injury due to clots and unforeseen heart problems was able to miraculously walk around the unit - and make it out of the ICU with a new liver transplant. Her family demonstrated profuse gratitude to all the staff for giving her a second chance at life.
In another example, a pre-transplant patient had been denied a liver transplant and his request was to marry his fiancé. 8ICU nurses collaborated closely with social workers, physical and respiratory therapists, and Nursing Administration to arrange a small wedding in the ICU. With the help of physical therapy, the patient was able to stand and share his vows with his wife. The room was decorated by the nurses with lights, streamers, and balloons. The patient and family expressed that this wedding gave them some closure and peace even with the uncertainty of the pandemic. The patient passed away peacefully a week later with his new wife and family by his side.
8ICU nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their commitment to clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care. Their nursing practice embodies the cross-section of compassionate inquiry and creative science. Although the transplantation process is lengthy and uncertain, 8ICU nurses work tirelessly at the bedside with their patients and families to make it a more bearable and humanistic process.
As another example, 8ICU nurses and restorative care assistants created a mobility pathway for long-term patients, and this pathway continued to be used to successfully allow critically ill individuals to rehabilitate. With the coordinated and specialized efforts of the nurses, one young female liver disease patient who had suffered an unfortunate brain injury due to clots and unforeseen heart problems was able to miraculously walk around the unit - and make it out of the ICU with a new liver transplant. Her family demonstrated profuse gratitude to all the staff for giving her a second chance at life.
In another example, a pre-transplant patient had been denied a liver transplant and his request was to marry his fiancé. 8ICU nurses collaborated closely with social workers, physical and respiratory therapists, and Nursing Administration to arrange a small wedding in the ICU. With the help of physical therapy, the patient was able to stand and share his vows with his wife. The room was decorated by the nurses with lights, streamers, and balloons. The patient and family expressed that this wedding gave them some closure and peace even with the uncertainty of the pandemic. The patient passed away peacefully a week later with his new wife and family by his side.
8ICU nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their commitment to clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care. Their nursing practice embodies the cross-section of compassionate inquiry and creative science. Although the transplantation process is lengthy and uncertain, 8ICU nurses work tirelessly at the bedside with their patients and families to make it a more bearable and humanistic process.