2020 has been a very difficult year related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaspreet is the Nurse Manager for the ICU 126/128 and our advanced telemetry floor Department 210. The medical intensive critical care unit was one of the first impacted departments by COVID-19 and Jaspreet rallied her team to rise to the challenge of caring for these patients. Patients brought into the hospital were critically ill and required intensive care. Nurses on those units needed to be fully prepared and competent with rationing PPE for self-protection while providing patient care. Simultaneously, she partnered with the leadership team and frontline staff to expedite the new opening of department 210 under an expedited CDPH survey in March of 2020 to create additional critical care capacity.
Jaspreet is a humble leader who collaborates with others to implement strategies to optimally support her teams. She leveraged the Voice of Nursing professional practice council with frontline staff to ensure practice changes and pandemic response also encompassed the welfare of staff. Staff were scared about the effect of this pandemic, unsure about the impact of this virus on self and others, along with the impact on family members. There was much uncertainty about the reuse of masks and gowns due to the shortage. Through Jaspreet's leadership, she supported created a "We Care Debrief" focusing on the staff's self-care by a debriefing at the end of each shift to empower the team to share concerns, progress, and create solutions before leaving work. This action enabled staff to end their shift on a positive note and to be fully present when going home to their families. The We Care Debriefs were a forum to ensure the teams' resilience and defer to their expertise for problem-solving in the ever-evolving pandemic. The We Care debriefs led to solutions that were quickly implemented including code response prepackaged PPE, laminated signage to assist with communication, and PPE preservation that included frequently used items a nurse could check and post on the glass door for a colleague to assist quickly. Examples listed on the laminated supply sheet included frequently used items such as gloves, wipes, and 4X4s, additional space was added that read 'an extended vacation in the Bahamas'. The team came together to support each other and leverage humor while working hard to care for the most vulnerable. Jaspreet and her team created outreach virtual meetings for family members and ensured no patient died alone, holding their hand during the final breaths of life.
Under Jaspreet's leadership, the ICU department honored their commitment and dedication for their contribution to improving the health of all our patients, especially COVID-19 patients. Many patients were lost to this horrific virus, but many patients were saved by the tremendous care given by these nurses and ancillary staff in the ICU. Under Jaspreet's direction, the ICU Team created the "Butterfly Program" that supported and honored the end-of-life patients with dignity. The staff continues to celebrate those complex patients with multi-organ failure after a lengthy illness did recover from COVID-19 and complications and were able to transition from the ICU to a lower level of care and survived this health crisis to return home. In fact, KP SCL was the first hospital that had a COVID-19 patient extubated who survived and was the first to be discharged in the region.
Jaspreet continues to keep the staff strong, agile, and resilient during the toughest times of this pandemic. Jaspreet is a transformational leader where she balances the science and art of nursing to lead this auspicious team.