Laura Super
July 2016
Laura
Super
,
MSN, RN, CCRN
SNICU
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Iowa City
,
IA
United States
I believe Laura's extremely competent nursing skills saved my husband's life. We first met Laura and Dustin (the nurse I believe she was mentoring) when my husband was admitted to the SNICU Bay 1, after surgery to remove a brain tumor. We did not expect to be in ICU, but a ventric drainage tube to monitor pressure in the brain brought us there. Laura's caring, efficient manner immediately put our family at ease after a long day of waiting throughout the surgery. I immediately knew he was in good, capable hands. He had a great first night in SNICU.
Laura was very attentive to my husband, as well as answering any and all questions the family had. On the next day, we waited for a bed to open up on sixth floor, but thankfully that did not happen, and he stayed in SNICU. Luckily when the shift changed that evening, Laura and Dustin were back. We were confident that my husband was doing well, so our family left the hospital about ten that evening to get some rest. I tend to be a worrier, so I called twice in the early hours the next day. My husband was holding steady, but Laura was watching and concerned about a few things that she had been consulting with the neurologist on during the night. At approximately 6 a.m., my husband went from a completely normal neurological exam to unresponsive in about five minutes. He had developed some swelling in the brain and within 30 minutes, he was intubated, taken to CT and into surgery. I truly believe that Laura's fast-acting skills, and the fact that she was watching him closely during the night, helped save him. Understandably, when we got back to the SNICU that morning we were terrified.
She was wonderful to our family; she gave us the facts in a calm, compassionate, professional manner. She did not give any false hope because at that point we did not know what the outcome would be, but she was able to point out the positives in a reassuring manner. Thankfully for us, my husband came out of the surgery able to respond to commands and is on the road to making a full recovery. When she came back for her next shift that evening, it was apparent that she had kept him in her thoughts during that day. Laura not only put my husband on the top of her priority list, but our family as well, making sure we were comfortable and cared for. We could not have asked for a better nurse to take care of our family.
Laura was very attentive to my husband, as well as answering any and all questions the family had. On the next day, we waited for a bed to open up on sixth floor, but thankfully that did not happen, and he stayed in SNICU. Luckily when the shift changed that evening, Laura and Dustin were back. We were confident that my husband was doing well, so our family left the hospital about ten that evening to get some rest. I tend to be a worrier, so I called twice in the early hours the next day. My husband was holding steady, but Laura was watching and concerned about a few things that she had been consulting with the neurologist on during the night. At approximately 6 a.m., my husband went from a completely normal neurological exam to unresponsive in about five minutes. He had developed some swelling in the brain and within 30 minutes, he was intubated, taken to CT and into surgery. I truly believe that Laura's fast-acting skills, and the fact that she was watching him closely during the night, helped save him. Understandably, when we got back to the SNICU that morning we were terrified.
She was wonderful to our family; she gave us the facts in a calm, compassionate, professional manner. She did not give any false hope because at that point we did not know what the outcome would be, but she was able to point out the positives in a reassuring manner. Thankfully for us, my husband came out of the surgery able to respond to commands and is on the road to making a full recovery. When she came back for her next shift that evening, it was apparent that she had kept him in her thoughts during that day. Laura not only put my husband on the top of her priority list, but our family as well, making sure we were comfortable and cared for. We could not have asked for a better nurse to take care of our family.