The Nurses of 5F Progressive Care
May 2021
The Nurses of 5F
Progressive Care
UPMC Mercy
Eunice Jael Acampado BSN, RN, Margaret Aiello BSN, RN, Tanya Barras BSN, RN, Alexandra Binsse RN, Erika Chase BSN, RN, Sarah Friedland BSN, RN, Sarah Hoover BSN, RN, Amanda Latulippe BSN, RN, Victoria Marrero BSN, RN, Christopher Nevill BSN, RN, Maryanne Pysola Cook RN, Jane Quinlan RN, Gabrielle Wright BSN, RN, Edward Zettl BSN, RN, Alicia Brown BSN, RN, Benjamin DeStephano BSN, RN, Ann Winiesky MPM, BSN, RN
5F is a 16-bed medical progressive care unit with all private rooms. The unit became the COVID Unit in May of 2020. The team on 5F is a cohesive and dedicated group of nurses, this team has been in the trenches at the bedside caring for COVID patients through what may be one of the scariest moments of the patient's lives.
The 5F team has seen everything from recovery, to comfort measures, to death. It is incredibly rewarding for the nursing staff when the patients are discharged to home. Because of this, a basic discharge to home was not enough. The care manager realized the patient's home-going was a tremendous win. Along with the unit director, clinicians, and staff she led the charge to design this celebration.
It started by honking a bicycle horn and cheering when the patient left the unit. It grew to include a large poster proclaiming the words COVID CHAMP and borrowed church bells from the chapel. Finally, a bell was purchased by the clinical director's husband who himself was a COVID CHAMP. The bell is mounted by the exit for the patients to ring when they are leaving the unit to the sounds of the staff cheering them on, which meant so much to the patients and families as this was truly something to celebrate!
5F had brand new nurses just out of nursing school hired to a medical progressive care unit, only to find out it was now the designated COVID unit. They have excelled this past year in their growth and experience. The seasoned staff, even though nervous and somewhat fearful, mentored and supported all the new staff. Thank you to the 5F team for taking excellent care of the physical and emotional needs of COVID patients, talking to the families on the phone and trying to keep them calm, and for care management for working with the team to provide what the patients and families need when they can ring that bell in celebration as they leave the unit to be discharged home!
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Team Members honored with this DAISY TEAM Award:
Eunice Jael Acampado, BSN, RN
Margaret Aiello, BSN, RN
Tanya Barras, BSN, RN
Alexandra Binsse, RN
Erika Chase, BSN, RN
Sarah Friedland, BSN, RN
Sarah Hoover, BSN, RN
Amanda Latulippe, BSN, RN
Victoria Marrero, BSN, RN
Christopher Nevill, BSN, RN
Maryanne Pysola Cook, RN
Jane Quinlan, RN
Gabrielle Wright, BSN, RN
Edward Zettl, BSN, RN
Alicia Brown BSN, RN
Benjamin DeStephano, BSN, RN
Ann Winiesky, MPM, BSN, RN
The 5F team has seen everything from recovery, to comfort measures, to death. It is incredibly rewarding for the nursing staff when the patients are discharged to home. Because of this, a basic discharge to home was not enough. The care manager realized the patient's home-going was a tremendous win. Along with the unit director, clinicians, and staff she led the charge to design this celebration.
It started by honking a bicycle horn and cheering when the patient left the unit. It grew to include a large poster proclaiming the words COVID CHAMP and borrowed church bells from the chapel. Finally, a bell was purchased by the clinical director's husband who himself was a COVID CHAMP. The bell is mounted by the exit for the patients to ring when they are leaving the unit to the sounds of the staff cheering them on, which meant so much to the patients and families as this was truly something to celebrate!
5F had brand new nurses just out of nursing school hired to a medical progressive care unit, only to find out it was now the designated COVID unit. They have excelled this past year in their growth and experience. The seasoned staff, even though nervous and somewhat fearful, mentored and supported all the new staff. Thank you to the 5F team for taking excellent care of the physical and emotional needs of COVID patients, talking to the families on the phone and trying to keep them calm, and for care management for working with the team to provide what the patients and families need when they can ring that bell in celebration as they leave the unit to be discharged home!
***
Team Members honored with this DAISY TEAM Award:
Eunice Jael Acampado, BSN, RN
Margaret Aiello, BSN, RN
Tanya Barras, BSN, RN
Alexandra Binsse, RN
Erika Chase, BSN, RN
Sarah Friedland, BSN, RN
Sarah Hoover, BSN, RN
Amanda Latulippe, BSN, RN
Victoria Marrero, BSN, RN
Christopher Nevill, BSN, RN
Maryanne Pysola Cook, RN
Jane Quinlan, RN
Gabrielle Wright, BSN, RN
Edward Zettl, BSN, RN
Alicia Brown BSN, RN
Benjamin DeStephano, BSN, RN
Ann Winiesky, MPM, BSN, RN