Olga Gavrilenko
February 2021
Olga
Gavrilenko
,
MS, RN, CCRN
ICU
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Often, Olga was not the primary nurse but still volunteered to come to the meetings, again just as an extra layer of support.
Olga is an exceptional nurse who receives continual positive feedback from her patients and the ICU team. She is a charge nurse who is always willing to help out and goes above and beyond for her patients. Below are two examples of her strong performance. One from a patient and one from a colleague. Our unit is better for her being a part of it:
To whom it may concern,
Olga is by far the kindest, sweetest nurse I've ever had. I've been sick almost 11 years and never have I had someone take the time, or go out of their way, to make sure I'm okay. She makes sure I'm more than ok. She makes sure I'm happy, comfortable, and does everything she has to, to make that happen if I am not. Never have I taken the time to write a note either. In short, she is Awesome and a large part of why I will be coming back to this hospital if I need further care!
***
Mrs. V was a Russian-speaking patient who was admitted with COVID. She was known to all of us in the ICU from past admissions due to her chronic health conditions. The patient and her husband had been married for >50 years. She had a lengthy and complicated course during her admission with COVID. We had multiple family meetings with her family.
Initially, all were over the phone as this was early in the COVID pandemic and her husband was also positive for COVID. Olga was instrumental in helping communicate with the family (even though we were using a hospital interpreter). Even when she was not the nurse assigned to the patient, she would stop in and speak with her-which I am sure was comforting to a patient who was unable to understand most of her staff- and assists in communications.
Once we had progressed to in-person family meetings to discuss goals of care, Olga was again extremely helpful and supportive. While we used a hospital translator, as per policy, Olga came to the meeting to provide support to the family. Having that extra layer of support of a nurse who knew the patient and who also spoke the language and could help ensure their understanding was instrumental in ensuring the family understood the medical facts and felt supported and heard by the staff.
Often, Olga was not the primary nurse but still volunteered to come to the meetings, again just as an extra layer of support. Any time a nurse is this supportive it is wonderful. But during the pandemic, when families and patients were separated due to visiting restrictions and COVID itself, I am sure knowing there were staff members who could directly communicate and comfort their mother in her own language, was a comfort to the family as well. When it was time to change to DNRCC and proceed with a comfort-focused care plan, Olga was there and assisted with understanding.
Olga is a very caring nurse; I have always felt that in the years I have worked with her. This is just one instance of her going above and beyond to help our patients.
To whom it may concern,
Olga is by far the kindest, sweetest nurse I've ever had. I've been sick almost 11 years and never have I had someone take the time, or go out of their way, to make sure I'm okay. She makes sure I'm more than ok. She makes sure I'm happy, comfortable, and does everything she has to, to make that happen if I am not. Never have I taken the time to write a note either. In short, she is Awesome and a large part of why I will be coming back to this hospital if I need further care!
***
Mrs. V was a Russian-speaking patient who was admitted with COVID. She was known to all of us in the ICU from past admissions due to her chronic health conditions. The patient and her husband had been married for >50 years. She had a lengthy and complicated course during her admission with COVID. We had multiple family meetings with her family.
Initially, all were over the phone as this was early in the COVID pandemic and her husband was also positive for COVID. Olga was instrumental in helping communicate with the family (even though we were using a hospital interpreter). Even when she was not the nurse assigned to the patient, she would stop in and speak with her-which I am sure was comforting to a patient who was unable to understand most of her staff- and assists in communications.
Once we had progressed to in-person family meetings to discuss goals of care, Olga was again extremely helpful and supportive. While we used a hospital translator, as per policy, Olga came to the meeting to provide support to the family. Having that extra layer of support of a nurse who knew the patient and who also spoke the language and could help ensure their understanding was instrumental in ensuring the family understood the medical facts and felt supported and heard by the staff.
Often, Olga was not the primary nurse but still volunteered to come to the meetings, again just as an extra layer of support. Any time a nurse is this supportive it is wonderful. But during the pandemic, when families and patients were separated due to visiting restrictions and COVID itself, I am sure knowing there were staff members who could directly communicate and comfort their mother in her own language, was a comfort to the family as well. When it was time to change to DNRCC and proceed with a comfort-focused care plan, Olga was there and assisted with understanding.
Olga is a very caring nurse; I have always felt that in the years I have worked with her. This is just one instance of her going above and beyond to help our patients.