Role Model Compassionate Care: Romulo has been a valued and respected bedside leader in the Unit since 2000. His clinical expertise, compassion for his patients, advocacy, and passion for the development of his fellow nurses and profession make him a DAISY Nurse. Romulo's extensive clinical knowledge and expertise in critical care have allowed him to become one of our most trusted preceptors, frequently often taking on the exciting challenge of orienting our new graduate RNs. Starting your nursing career as a new grad in the ICU can be daunting. The orientation is long and the learning curve is steep. With his trusted guidance and expertise, we know our new team members will not only be successful at caring for our critically ill patients, but many have gone on to become unit leaders themselves. This is a testament to the positive impact and influence he has on our team. The engagement of our new employees is in large part due to his mentorship, kindness, and ability to make everyone feel included and welcome. His counsel is sought by both novice and expert staff.

Special Connection: Romulo’s resiliency and dedication to the unit, to his patients, and to his team have been incredibly influential. Regardless of the circumstances, he upholds our high standards and practices excellence to provide outstanding, high-quality patient care. Romulo not only advocates for his team but is a fierce advocate for our patients and their families.

A recent situation highlighted the compassion and care he shows for his patients every day. During a recent shift in the charge role, he went above and beyond to get distraught parents to the bedside of their critically ill son. The patient had rapidly decompensated and was being emergently transferred, from our Step-Down Unit to the ICU. The patient called to his mother and said, “Hold my hand, Ma. I am going to die.” On arrival to the MICU, many critical procedures needed to take place. The patient was emergently intubated and needed central lines placed for critical vasopressor infusions and initiation CRRT. Because these are sterile procedures, the parents were asked to wait outside of the unit. The procedures were taking longer than expected and the patient’s mother was beside herself. These parents had recently experienced the loss of another child a few months prior and were still grieving. Furthermore, they were quite elderly and concerned about the long drive home in the dark, but the mother could not bear the idea of leaving without seeing her son. Romulo continued to communicate with the MICU team and parents who were becoming increasingly upset. He went to the team and insisted they take a brief pause between procedures so that the parents could see their son, which they were able to do. The mother went to the bedside and held her son’s hand, softly offering words of encouragement. Sadly, the patient died later that night. The small window of opportunity that Romulo opened was the final time they saw each other.

Significant Difference: Romulo is an impeccable RN who goes above and beyond all the time. He is one of our preceptors who trains brand-new RNs to be confident ICU nurses. He is caring, intelligent, calm, and an excellent instructor. Romulo can take care of the sickest patient in our unit and does so with ease and confidence. Patients and their families feel at ease when he is caring for them. He is able to articulate to them in such a way that they understand the diagnosis and plan of care. This may sound simple but is not. It is evident that he anticipates and advocates for his patients. His impact on the MICU, as well as the nursing profession, is extraordinary.