With 17 years of experience as a nurse in the Pediatric ICU, Carmen is recognized by her peers for her excellent assessment skills and clinical judgment. Carmen is also known for her positive attitude and infectious sense of humor. Even during the most stressful situations, Carmen is always right there to lend a hand and offer an encouraging word to her co-workers.
However, it is her tireless advocacy for her patients, their families, and her peers which has earned her the utmost respect from her colleagues. Her compassionate demeanor and exceptional communication skills make her an effective patient advocate. By building a relationship based on trust and mutual respect with our patients and their families, Carmen is able to give a professional voice to their concerns regarding their healthcare. She recognizes the importance of a collaborative approach with our PICU team and specialty services to improving the care we provide our patients. However, she is not afraid to be the lone voice speaking up for a patient if needed.
One example of this was a newly diagnosed Oncology patient who had been admitted to PICU the night before for mild respiratory distress. The child's respiratory status had improved with oxygen via nasal cannula and the physicians felt the patient was stable enough to go to the OR that morning for a port-a-cath placement and diagnostic procedures. Anesthesia and Pedi Surgery had already performed their pre-op assessments and obtained consent from the parents.
Before going to the OR, the patient received a routine Echocardiogram as part of the standard protocol prior to the initiation of Chemotherapy. During the Echo, both Carmen and the Echo Tech were concerned about abnormalities noted during the patient's imaging. Carmen recognized that these suspected abnormalities could be life-threatening and lead to rapid deterioration in the patient's status. She also realized the impact this could have on the patient's scheduled surgery and the importance of notifying the faculty physicians of the multiple services that were involved in patient's care to ensure that they were aware of the results of the ECHO.
Carmen's vigilant efforts to notify the physicians and services involved of the change in the patient's status allowed them to work together to modify the plan of care and the scheduled surgery was canceled due to the potential risk to the patient. The patient was transferred to another facility for additional diagnostic testing. Throughout her conversations with the physicians, Carmen kept her patient's parents updated on the plan of care and their child's status.
Prior to being transferred, the patient's mother expressed her appreciation for the care that Carmen provided her son. Carmen's tireless advocacy doesn't end with her patients and their families; she is also a voice for fair and safe working conditions for her peers. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic Carmen has diligently researched the appropriate level of PPE needed to minimize staff exposure to the virus and providing education to staff on how to appropriately utilize these tools to protect both ourselves and our loved ones.
She continues to work with our management team to identify PPE resources available at UTMB and develop methods for their judicious but effective use. Carmen also helps keep our PICU staff updated on the assistance programs offered to UTMB employees and their families while we are on emergency status. Carmen exemplifies the extraordinary clinical practice and the compassionate care that the DAISY Award represents.