Paola Soler
March 2021
Paola
Soler
,
RN, BSN
ICU
James J. Peters VA Medical Center
Ms. Soler took it upon herself to facetime his wife and 1-year-old son every shift in the morning and in the evening from her cell phone so that they may see their loved one and share words of encouragement.
Paola Soler has been a critical care nurse at JJP VA for 7 ½ years. Like others, she had never experienced a pandemic nonetheless one that threatens her patients' life, her life, and her family's life simultaneously. In the midst of the horrific experience with COVID-19, Ms. Soler noticed that her faith was tested. She found herself questioning her skills/ability to provide the best care she could for her patients all while trying to keep them alive.
One patient, in particular, happened to be a young male within her age group who was admitted to my ICU with COVID-19. Ms. Soler was his primary nurse from the moment of his admission to the very moment of his successful transfer outside of the ICU. On the first day of his admission, he was intubated due to his rapid decompensation related to COVID-19. Though he was intubated he remained responsive. He asked for a pen and paper in which he wrote "Call my wife, she does not know I'm here." I immediately called his wife. While in disbelief and crying uncontrollably she expressed how afraid she was and how she "could not lose him. We have a 1-year-old baby." Throughout this time of uncertainty, Ms. Soler reassured her that we would do our very best to provide her husband with optimal care.
However, we have provided the best care when there was little to no knowledge of this vicious contagion. She provided our Veteran the services he deserved when there's a major lack in PPE shortage in staffing due to nurses being exposed and a lack of negative pressure rooms. Ms. Soler kept this patient alive while the patient next door to him is actively coding and we're doing whatever it takes to keep him from dying. These were the challenges and the critical decisions. Her patient was eventually sedated for safety and comfort reasons. Due to visitor restrictions in the facility related to COVID-19, Ms. Soler took it upon herself to facetime his wife and 1-year-old son every shift in the morning and in the evening from her cell phone so that they may see their loved one and share words of encouragement.
One day while face-timing his wife she asked him "If you hear me and love me squeeze your nurse's hand" and to my surprise he did. He even attempted to open his eyes. This moment has been embedded in her mind despite all of the chaos we've experienced. Thankfully, he was our first successful intubation and first successful discharge of COVID-19. Surprisingly, he remembers these very moments himself. Ms. Soler made a difference for her extraordinary care during the peak of the pandemic.
One patient, in particular, happened to be a young male within her age group who was admitted to my ICU with COVID-19. Ms. Soler was his primary nurse from the moment of his admission to the very moment of his successful transfer outside of the ICU. On the first day of his admission, he was intubated due to his rapid decompensation related to COVID-19. Though he was intubated he remained responsive. He asked for a pen and paper in which he wrote "Call my wife, she does not know I'm here." I immediately called his wife. While in disbelief and crying uncontrollably she expressed how afraid she was and how she "could not lose him. We have a 1-year-old baby." Throughout this time of uncertainty, Ms. Soler reassured her that we would do our very best to provide her husband with optimal care.
However, we have provided the best care when there was little to no knowledge of this vicious contagion. She provided our Veteran the services he deserved when there's a major lack in PPE shortage in staffing due to nurses being exposed and a lack of negative pressure rooms. Ms. Soler kept this patient alive while the patient next door to him is actively coding and we're doing whatever it takes to keep him from dying. These were the challenges and the critical decisions. Her patient was eventually sedated for safety and comfort reasons. Due to visitor restrictions in the facility related to COVID-19, Ms. Soler took it upon herself to facetime his wife and 1-year-old son every shift in the morning and in the evening from her cell phone so that they may see their loved one and share words of encouragement.
One day while face-timing his wife she asked him "If you hear me and love me squeeze your nurse's hand" and to my surprise he did. He even attempted to open his eyes. This moment has been embedded in her mind despite all of the chaos we've experienced. Thankfully, he was our first successful intubation and first successful discharge of COVID-19. Surprisingly, he remembers these very moments himself. Ms. Soler made a difference for her extraordinary care during the peak of the pandemic.