UPMC Western Maryland ICU Team- (from left to right) Jamie Karstetter, Christine Lechliter, Crissy Martz, Courtney Collins, Ginger Raines, Olivia Collins, Sharon Bloom, Belinda Frenzel, Katie Dolechek, Robert Godfrey, Elizabeth Simmons, Jacob Painter, Brittany Rickelmann, Jason Liller, Christine Cline, Katrina Roxa
June 2021
Nurses of the
UPMC Western Maryland ICU
ICU
UPMC Western Maryland
Cumberland
,
MD
United States
Tiffany Bittinger, RN
Sharon Bloom, RN
Katherine Bussard, RN
Nicole Clay, RN
Christine Cline, RN
Courtney Collins, RN
Olivia Collins, RN
Staci Collins, RN
Constance Day, RN
Belinda Frenzel, RN
Randi Frye, RN
Katrina Glotfelty, RN
Robert Godfrey, RN
Matthew Greise, RN
Michelle Harvey, RN
Benjamin Heidorn, RN
Kelly Kerns, RN
Nathan Lester, RN
Crissy Martz, RN
Kerry Messick, RN
Eleni Nigusse, RN
Jacob Painter, RN
Alexis Pfeiffer, RN
Ginger Raines, RN
Brittany Rickelmann, RN
Katrina Roxa, PCA
Nicole Schriver, RN
Vanessa Shaffer, RN
Elizabeth Simmons, RN
Alison Speir, RN
Karisa Baker, RN
Shanon Bond, RN
Katie Dolechek, RN
Jason Liller, RN
Tracy Snyder, RN
Garrett Mathews, RN
Shelby Clise, RN
Devan Stahlman, RN
Tera Mazzone, RN
Kyle Golden, RN
John Skidmore, RN
Kirsten Compton-Dom, RN
Alexandra Lantz, RN
Joy Linthicum, RN
Kathryn Bever, RN
Kimberly Fazenbaker, RN
Daniel Morris, RN
Sharon Bloom, RN
Katherine Bussard, RN
Nicole Clay, RN
Christine Cline, RN
Courtney Collins, RN
Olivia Collins, RN
Staci Collins, RN
Constance Day, RN
Belinda Frenzel, RN
Randi Frye, RN
Katrina Glotfelty, RN
Robert Godfrey, RN
Matthew Greise, RN
Michelle Harvey, RN
Benjamin Heidorn, RN
Kelly Kerns, RN
Nathan Lester, RN
Crissy Martz, RN
Kerry Messick, RN
Eleni Nigusse, RN
Jacob Painter, RN
Alexis Pfeiffer, RN
Ginger Raines, RN
Brittany Rickelmann, RN
Katrina Roxa, PCA
Nicole Schriver, RN
Vanessa Shaffer, RN
Elizabeth Simmons, RN
Alison Speir, RN
Karisa Baker, RN
Shanon Bond, RN
Katie Dolechek, RN
Jason Liller, RN
Tracy Snyder, RN
Garrett Mathews, RN
Shelby Clise, RN
Devan Stahlman, RN
Tera Mazzone, RN
Kyle Golden, RN
John Skidmore, RN
Kirsten Compton-Dom, RN
Alexandra Lantz, RN
Joy Linthicum, RN
Kathryn Bever, RN
Kimberly Fazenbaker, RN
Daniel Morris, RN
The ICU staff have always taken care of each other and worked as a team, but it was during this time that the story of the indestructible bonds they held with each other truly began to unfold.
Nurses come to work with the intention of caring for patients and hopefully make a difference in their lives. In ICU, the critical nature of the patients is always present, and the aspect of life and death is very real. During the COVID pandemic, the ICU nurses faced this life and death reality nearly every shift. COVID started in the ICU and has been the way of life ever since.
The intensive care unit received the first COVID patient of UPMC-WM in March. The ICU nurses have cared for these critical patients since the very beginning, straight through since day one. Once the capacity in ICU was exceeded, they helped build a temporary Critical Care Unit on a Med-Surg floor. It was here where they cared for the sickest patients in the hospital. CRRT maxed out oxygen, and daily proning became the norm. They became resources for nurses on the other side of the hall, those caring for the “healthier” COVID patients. They even assisted Dr. Nelson with ECMO cannulation for the very first time. Twelve-hour shifts often became sixteen, and three shifts a week soon became four and five. They would leave work late, only to come back again the very next day. They worked endlessly, isolated with just each other on the COVID ward, a unit described by many as what looked like a war zone out of an episode of MASH.
The ICU staff have always taken care of each other and worked as a team, but it was during this time that the story of the indestructible bonds they held with each other truly began to unfold. The entire hospital was affected by covid, and every staff member in this facility deserves the highest appreciation; however, this group stands out from the rest. The ICU staff deserve the DAISY Award, not just because of the exceptional care they delivered during this worldwide pandemic, but because of the unbreakable bond they share that gave them the drive and perseverance to get through one of the worst times in our lives.
Critical Care Unit Director, Crissy Martz, BSN stated in a previous interview, “I am very proud of my staff and the dedication they have, not just to our patients, but to each other. They function like a well-oiled machine. They are naturals, working side-by-side with endless momentum to keep moving forward. They are each other’s biggest fans and their greatest supporters. Their passion for what they do is unspeakable. They are my true heroes as we continue to fight this invisible enemy.”
Being each other’s support and the drive to push through was something that was extraordinary to be a part of. It is hard to put it into words unless it is experienced first-hand. The compassion these nurses have was displayed every day in their actions and in their attitudes. They were asked to step up when our community needed them most and it was done without question. Many times, nurses came in on their days off to hold the hand of a dying patient simply because they didn’t want any of them to die alone. During this year-long span there was not one ICU COVID patient that died without someone by their side. They sit with them, hold their hands, sing to them, and cry with them until they take their last breaths. Then, they immediately get up and move on to the next patient without hesitation.
The patients that are cared for in the ICU are usually not in and out. These nurses care for them for weeks and sometimes months at a time. They get to know their families and become emotionally attached as they care for them shift after shift. I have watched them grieve these losses and lean on their fellow nurses to help them cope and get through. The staff bonded together to make this terrible time tolerable. The amount of grief experienced in ICU during COVID is indescribable, and without each other, things may have been very different in this unit.
There were many selfies taken that are now displayed on the “Meet the Staff” board in the unit and in a collage located in Crissy Martz’s office. These selfies help paint a picture of a group that used their goofy, fun-loving personalities to support each other through an unimaginable time. I have never been prouder to work with such an incredible team of nurses and to be a part of such a positive and supportive team. The COVID pandemic broke the hearts of many Americans, but the one thing it didn’t break, was the bond of the ICU staff.
The intensive care unit received the first COVID patient of UPMC-WM in March. The ICU nurses have cared for these critical patients since the very beginning, straight through since day one. Once the capacity in ICU was exceeded, they helped build a temporary Critical Care Unit on a Med-Surg floor. It was here where they cared for the sickest patients in the hospital. CRRT maxed out oxygen, and daily proning became the norm. They became resources for nurses on the other side of the hall, those caring for the “healthier” COVID patients. They even assisted Dr. Nelson with ECMO cannulation for the very first time. Twelve-hour shifts often became sixteen, and three shifts a week soon became four and five. They would leave work late, only to come back again the very next day. They worked endlessly, isolated with just each other on the COVID ward, a unit described by many as what looked like a war zone out of an episode of MASH.
The ICU staff have always taken care of each other and worked as a team, but it was during this time that the story of the indestructible bonds they held with each other truly began to unfold. The entire hospital was affected by covid, and every staff member in this facility deserves the highest appreciation; however, this group stands out from the rest. The ICU staff deserve the DAISY Award, not just because of the exceptional care they delivered during this worldwide pandemic, but because of the unbreakable bond they share that gave them the drive and perseverance to get through one of the worst times in our lives.
Critical Care Unit Director, Crissy Martz, BSN stated in a previous interview, “I am very proud of my staff and the dedication they have, not just to our patients, but to each other. They function like a well-oiled machine. They are naturals, working side-by-side with endless momentum to keep moving forward. They are each other’s biggest fans and their greatest supporters. Their passion for what they do is unspeakable. They are my true heroes as we continue to fight this invisible enemy.”
Being each other’s support and the drive to push through was something that was extraordinary to be a part of. It is hard to put it into words unless it is experienced first-hand. The compassion these nurses have was displayed every day in their actions and in their attitudes. They were asked to step up when our community needed them most and it was done without question. Many times, nurses came in on their days off to hold the hand of a dying patient simply because they didn’t want any of them to die alone. During this year-long span there was not one ICU COVID patient that died without someone by their side. They sit with them, hold their hands, sing to them, and cry with them until they take their last breaths. Then, they immediately get up and move on to the next patient without hesitation.
The patients that are cared for in the ICU are usually not in and out. These nurses care for them for weeks and sometimes months at a time. They get to know their families and become emotionally attached as they care for them shift after shift. I have watched them grieve these losses and lean on their fellow nurses to help them cope and get through. The staff bonded together to make this terrible time tolerable. The amount of grief experienced in ICU during COVID is indescribable, and without each other, things may have been very different in this unit.
There were many selfies taken that are now displayed on the “Meet the Staff” board in the unit and in a collage located in Crissy Martz’s office. These selfies help paint a picture of a group that used their goofy, fun-loving personalities to support each other through an unimaginable time. I have never been prouder to work with such an incredible team of nurses and to be a part of such a positive and supportive team. The COVID pandemic broke the hearts of many Americans, but the one thing it didn’t break, was the bond of the ICU staff.