Michelle, along with others, is the charge nurse over four departments: labor, NICU, postpartum, and Med-Surg/Ortho/Ped. She is also in charge of making the night schedule, and I'm sure a lot of other things. When I get to work with Michelle, I know that whatever the night brings, we will be able to handle it. There have been times when things seem like they are falling apart, or even just that I am a little overwhelmed being a new labor nurse, but Michelle always keeps her cool and is a calming figure on the unit.
In the midst of juggling so many tasks and people, Michelle always finds time to make each of us feel important and that our concerns are being heard. She doesn't hesitate to jump in when we need help or to give advice.
I can think of many instances when Michelle went above and beyond for me, but here are two.
On one particular night, we had only one high-risk patient on the labor unit. Again, being new, I had not taken care of this type of situation before and I had a lot of questions. Most of my questions were "what if" but Michelle sat with me for over an hour analyzing the patient's labor strip and running through scenarios with me. I know she had many other tasks that she needed to get done, but she made me feel like I was the only one there. She was so patient with me in teaching me about this particular condition and my role in caring for the patient.
On another night, I had a patient in the operating room who was very anxious and said she was unable to feel her arms. I called for help and Michelle was there in an instant. Not only was she there, but she stayed with me, and the patient, and was a much needed extra set of hands once the baby was delivered. Having her at my side gave me the confidence I needed but also the assurance that I was in good hands so I could help my patient and her baby.
I could go on and on because I have so many stories of how Michelle has helped me or the patients. I am so blessed to get to train under such wonderful nurses.