Trisha Novak
April 2015
Trisha
Novak
,
BSN RN
Medical ICU
University of New Mexico Hospitals
Albuquerque
,
NM
United States
Thank God for Trisha! A week ago we buried our beloved son. Sad, yes! But there are a few positives that accompany our grief. First, it was only by God's design that we were able to be at his side, holding his hands and comforting him when he took his last breath. Second, we were blessed to have the Angel of Medical ICU, Trisha Novak at our side to guide us through his final hours. We want you to know what an incredible asset she is to UNMH.
Our son was flown to your medical ICU with pneumonia. We arrived at your facility early in the afternoon and stayed with him until approximately 7:00PM. I think we'd have stayed the night, but Trisha recognized our exhaustion and recommended we get some sleep. She assured us we could return at 7:00AM the next day when her next shift began. When we left, all his vitals were trending in the right direction, but we knew he had a huge uphill battle.
At 12:30AM the night staff doctor called and told us his vitals were deteriorating and advised we return. From 1:00AM until 6:45AM we sat by his side watching and waiting as staff nurses, aides and doctors went about their chores. When we asked if we could go get a cup of coffee and bring it back to the room, the only response was a cold "our policy is".
When Trisha began her shift everything changed. She immediately and heart fully expressed her sympathy and explained our son's condition had rapidly progressed into sepsis and his chances of survival were very slim. She also explained she was going to ask her supervisor to revise her schedule so she could remain as his nurse. We truly believe she was God's second act of kindness!
From this point on it was Trisha, not your doctors or the "red jump" nursing director who took control of the situation. Her demonstrated leadership, ability to provide cohesive, unfiltered facts and total honesty were exactly what two total strangers needed to help make end-of-life decisions. Her compassion and emotional sensitivity ran the gamut. She had the common sense to provide us with a cup of coffee; she was respectful in that she restricted room access to insensitive staff members when we needed privacy; and she was compassionate in carefully, yet technically, preparing us for the next and final steps.
It's clear; when someone coined the phrase "Angel of Mercy" they must have been thinking of Trisha!
Our son was flown to your medical ICU with pneumonia. We arrived at your facility early in the afternoon and stayed with him until approximately 7:00PM. I think we'd have stayed the night, but Trisha recognized our exhaustion and recommended we get some sleep. She assured us we could return at 7:00AM the next day when her next shift began. When we left, all his vitals were trending in the right direction, but we knew he had a huge uphill battle.
At 12:30AM the night staff doctor called and told us his vitals were deteriorating and advised we return. From 1:00AM until 6:45AM we sat by his side watching and waiting as staff nurses, aides and doctors went about their chores. When we asked if we could go get a cup of coffee and bring it back to the room, the only response was a cold "our policy is".
When Trisha began her shift everything changed. She immediately and heart fully expressed her sympathy and explained our son's condition had rapidly progressed into sepsis and his chances of survival were very slim. She also explained she was going to ask her supervisor to revise her schedule so she could remain as his nurse. We truly believe she was God's second act of kindness!
From this point on it was Trisha, not your doctors or the "red jump" nursing director who took control of the situation. Her demonstrated leadership, ability to provide cohesive, unfiltered facts and total honesty were exactly what two total strangers needed to help make end-of-life decisions. Her compassion and emotional sensitivity ran the gamut. She had the common sense to provide us with a cup of coffee; she was respectful in that she restricted room access to insensitive staff members when we needed privacy; and she was compassionate in carefully, yet technically, preparing us for the next and final steps.
It's clear; when someone coined the phrase "Angel of Mercy" they must have been thinking of Trisha!