As a charge nurse, I received a call that we would be getting a direct admit from Dr. T's office, a 1 1/2 month old with RSV, Influenza A and B, and bilateral pneumonia. Wow, this kiddo sounded very sick. I didn't receive any other information from the supervisor except that this child would be a COR admission. I looked at the board to see which peds nurse was available and assigned the patient to Courtney. I shared with Courtney the information I received from the supervisor while Courtney quickly handed off her patients to me. The baby arrived shortly after the room was ready and was in obvious distress. Courtney immediately called the nursing supervisor to assist with starting an IV line while Courtney attempted to quickly assess the baby. Mom and Dad did accompany the baby from the office. Soon after the baby arrived, Dr. T rushed over from the clinic with the lab results and stat orders for an IV bolus. Once Dr. T looked at the baby, he decided to transfer to Children's by helicopter. The baby's respiratory rate was in the 100s and heart rate in the 200s! When the life flight team from Children's arrived, they determined that the baby needed to be intubated prior to transfer. After a traumatic intubation, with the mom crying at the bedside and Courtney and the nursing supervisor trying to keep the situation under control, the baby was finally transferred by helicopter to Children's. I had intermittently been checking on Courtney to see if she or the Supervisor needed help while the patient was still in-house. Since the patient had left I went to check on Courtney. When I walked in the empty room, Courtney was cleaning up (still in her gown and mask). I asked her how she was doing. She looked up at me and started to cry. How she was able to stay calm and hold herself together while taking care of an acutely ill baby is beyond me. I would have lost it, but not Courtney. I knew she would be the best nurse for this very sick child. Courtney Edison, is known for her compassionate nursing care. Her patients love her and she is a fantastic nurse. In my opinion. She touched the lives of this very sick baby and the family. Without her, this situation could have had a very different outcome.
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Courtney has gone above and beyond to make me feel so much better. She has such a loving smile soothing voice, plus a kind touch. She takes time to talk to me about what if anything may be bothering me. She took time to talk to my daughter to see if she needed anything.
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From day one Courtney was a pleasure. Very friendly and caring. She was always in my husband's room asking if he needed anything trying to make sure he was comfortable. She saw our children bringing in my husband Mt. Dew and made it a point to get him some Mt. Dew and kept it for him. She would play and joke with our grandchildren when they were visiting and would answer any questions that the family had. She made our stay easier. When she went home on Sunday and would be off on Monday, she told my husband if he wasn't here when she returned to work that she would miss us. She was a pleasure.