Sara M. McGovern
September 2024
Sara M.
McGovern
,
RN
Thoracic/Vascular ICU
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester
,
MN
United States
I feel like for an adult ICU nurse, Sara went above and beyond for my 16-year-old daughter and helped her get through this very stressful, scary time.
My 16-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a blood clot from her IVC down to her left foot and down her right leg to her knee. She was a healthy teenager who had just finished her fall volleyball season and had never had any health issues. We were scared, and our heads were spinning with worry and disbelief.
On the first day in the hospital, she had a procedure that placed catheters in the back of her knees through which they infused medicine to dissolve the clots. She was admitted to the adult vascular intensive care unit due to the specialty of her diagnosis. She had to lie perfectly flat and only be tipped up for drinks of water. The first day after her procedure to place the catheters, she had Sara as her nurse. Being an ICU nurse myself, I had high standards for my daughter's care, but within the first few minutes of meeting Sara, I felt like I could take off my nurse hat and just be the mom that my daughter needed during this scary time.
Sara was kind, she was thorough, she advocated for my daughter, and she had the patience that a very anxious teenager needed. My daughter has always hated to get shots, and now she was getting her blood drawn every 4 hours due to the blood thinners she was on. Sara made sure to get cold spray up to the adult floor for her lab draws. When she started to almost have panic attacks when she heard the lab cart roll down the hall, Sara helped us advocate for a PICC line. The PICC line was a lifesaver; it improved her mood and mental health by eliminating the stress of the blood draws. My daughter struggled with a loss of control that comes with the ICU, and Sara was patient. She knew when to push and when to give her choices. Sara let her have control of what she could, which helped her anxiety. Sara was thoughtful not only about my daughter's physical well-being but also her mental well-being. She noticed my daughter needed more kid-friendly activities that the adult ICU did not offer; she gave us the resources needed to help get us through her hospital stay. I feel like for an adult ICU nurse, Sara went above and beyond for my 16-year-old daughter and helped her get through this very stressful, scary time.
On the first day in the hospital, she had a procedure that placed catheters in the back of her knees through which they infused medicine to dissolve the clots. She was admitted to the adult vascular intensive care unit due to the specialty of her diagnosis. She had to lie perfectly flat and only be tipped up for drinks of water. The first day after her procedure to place the catheters, she had Sara as her nurse. Being an ICU nurse myself, I had high standards for my daughter's care, but within the first few minutes of meeting Sara, I felt like I could take off my nurse hat and just be the mom that my daughter needed during this scary time.
Sara was kind, she was thorough, she advocated for my daughter, and she had the patience that a very anxious teenager needed. My daughter has always hated to get shots, and now she was getting her blood drawn every 4 hours due to the blood thinners she was on. Sara made sure to get cold spray up to the adult floor for her lab draws. When she started to almost have panic attacks when she heard the lab cart roll down the hall, Sara helped us advocate for a PICC line. The PICC line was a lifesaver; it improved her mood and mental health by eliminating the stress of the blood draws. My daughter struggled with a loss of control that comes with the ICU, and Sara was patient. She knew when to push and when to give her choices. Sara let her have control of what she could, which helped her anxiety. Sara was thoughtful not only about my daughter's physical well-being but also her mental well-being. She noticed my daughter needed more kid-friendly activities that the adult ICU did not offer; she gave us the resources needed to help get us through her hospital stay. I feel like for an adult ICU nurse, Sara went above and beyond for my 16-year-old daughter and helped her get through this very stressful, scary time.