George has been a staple of the RCH ANM Night Shift team for nearly a decade. He is known for always being present for the staff and for answering the call when things get tough. The staff know that he hears their concerns and advocates on their behalf. George is also a staunch supporter of patient rights and helps create environments and plans that put the patient in the center of our work.
We had a COVID+ patient who needed emergent surgery related to an extremity wound when there was concern for necrotizing fasciitis. The patient's operative course was complex and his condition deteriorated. The patient was intubated and eventually started on nitric oxide while in the operating room. The care of the patient quickly outgrew the normal scope of practice for the PACU recovery nurses. George helped assemble a plan to send one of our ICU nurses to assist in the care of this critically ill patient in a space she was unfamiliar with.
George made himself available to the ICU Nurse, PACU Nurse, and respiratory therapist as they all banded together to care for this patient in the OR until a transport plan could be arranged to get the patient to the Oakland ICU. Despite most of this happening after midnight where additional help and thought partners can be limited, George's constant presence and leadership helped the team get what they needed to care for the patient until they transferred
George exemplifies what it means to be a Richmond ANM and really went above and beyond to help ensure staff and patient safety in a complex situation that took place in the middle of the night.