I came in early on an April morning to greet my nurses and answer any questions they may have. Once we all started talking, Michelle Gomes informed me that she had been calling a doctor all night about a patient having issues breathing and hand crackles on palpation on her upper torso. Although vital signs were good, the patient still had complaints of shortness of breath on ambulation.
Michelle looked up the patient's symptoms and thought it could possibly be subcutaneous emphysema, she called the doctor several times to ask for an x-ray of the chest and a pulmonary consult and the physician wouldn't order what she asked for. After Michelle's shift was over, she had the next nurse continue to follow up. Once the physician came in, he ordered a pulmonary consult and an x-ray. The patient was diagnosed with subcutaneous emphysema. My kudos goes to Michelle for being a wonderful patient advocate for this patient and in getting the correct diagnosis and care. Great job!