Todd
VonBergen
July 2011
Todd
VonBergen
,
RN
Cardiovascular Care Unit - CVCU, Salem Hospital
Salem Health
Salem
,
OR
United States
From Todd's patient's family:
Recently my sister was admitted unexpectedly to the CVCU after suffering a heart attack resulting in a double bypass surgery. She was kept in a paralytic, sedated state through her stay. The nurses and staff on the CVCU were very helpful and courteous to me and my family. Todd was especially caring and kind to us all, especially to my sister's children. He went to great lengths to explain procedures and condition to us all and to make us feel at ease. He was not only a nurse and caretaker to my sister he was also a listener and a great comfort to us all. He even went so far as to answer the phone and speak with our Grandmother (who is 89 years old and confused) in a way that comforted her.
My sister was transferred to OHSU where she ultimately passed away at 47 years of age. We will never forget the kindness shown by Todd and we want to tell you how fortunate you are to have him at Salem Health. I am overwhelmed at the caring he portrayed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Todd.
From Todd's coworker:
We had a critically ill patient who Todd took care of starting the day after her admission. He then chose to continue caring for this patient for 12 hours a day for the next 6 days until the patient had to be transferred to another facility. He did this because of his dedication to providing consistent and quality care to the patient and because of the bond he quickly formed with her large family.
Within those six days Todd taught many nurses (including myself) how to care for this patient, who was on a balloon pump and with an open sternotomy, while managing airway, neuromuscular block, hemodynamics and the family's need for compassionate and accurate information.
Todd never lost sight of the whole person and cared for her body and her soul. He ensured she was bathed daily, turned every two hours, had exemplary oral care and maintained her other body functions beyond her heart and lungs. He kept vigilance for any other system issues that might affect her health, like sepsis, fluid status, kidney function, etc.
This is just one example of how Todd functions every day. He acts as an expert clinical resource for CVCU and ICU. He builds bonds with his patients and their families that has a lasting impact.
Recently my sister was admitted unexpectedly to the CVCU after suffering a heart attack resulting in a double bypass surgery. She was kept in a paralytic, sedated state through her stay. The nurses and staff on the CVCU were very helpful and courteous to me and my family. Todd was especially caring and kind to us all, especially to my sister's children. He went to great lengths to explain procedures and condition to us all and to make us feel at ease. He was not only a nurse and caretaker to my sister he was also a listener and a great comfort to us all. He even went so far as to answer the phone and speak with our Grandmother (who is 89 years old and confused) in a way that comforted her.
My sister was transferred to OHSU where she ultimately passed away at 47 years of age. We will never forget the kindness shown by Todd and we want to tell you how fortunate you are to have him at Salem Health. I am overwhelmed at the caring he portrayed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Todd.
From Todd's coworker:
We had a critically ill patient who Todd took care of starting the day after her admission. He then chose to continue caring for this patient for 12 hours a day for the next 6 days until the patient had to be transferred to another facility. He did this because of his dedication to providing consistent and quality care to the patient and because of the bond he quickly formed with her large family.
Within those six days Todd taught many nurses (including myself) how to care for this patient, who was on a balloon pump and with an open sternotomy, while managing airway, neuromuscular block, hemodynamics and the family's need for compassionate and accurate information.
Todd never lost sight of the whole person and cared for her body and her soul. He ensured she was bathed daily, turned every two hours, had exemplary oral care and maintained her other body functions beyond her heart and lungs. He kept vigilance for any other system issues that might affect her health, like sepsis, fluid status, kidney function, etc.
This is just one example of how Todd functions every day. He acts as an expert clinical resource for CVCU and ICU. He builds bonds with his patients and their families that has a lasting impact.