The Leaders and Resource Team of F4E
July 2021
The Leaders and Resource Team of F4E
F4E (COVID Unit)
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
Dallas
,
TX
United States
Kathryn Ufolla, MHA, BSN, RN, CCRN
Mercedes Lopez, MSN, RN, CENP, CPHQ
Kevin Koshy, BSN, CCRN
Mark Gemina, BSN, RN
The Medical Surgical and Critical Care Resource Team
Mercedes Lopez, MSN, RN, CENP, CPHQ
Kevin Koshy, BSN, CCRN
Mark Gemina, BSN, RN
The Medical Surgical and Critical Care Resource Team
Also, during the darkest of days, they have cried with countless families over the phone as they held the hands of COVID patients as they passed from this earth.
Where were you in 2020? – “I was in the trenches!” said the F4E Resource Nurse DAISY Team Award Nomination In early 2020, when the COVID-19 virus took hold of hospitals across the U.S. turning them into “war zones”, the leaders of MCMC and the nurses took to war. There was so much fear and at times was just terrifying, mostly from the unknown of this new disease. As the COVID numbers and deaths continued to grow a plan for the patient surge was quickly put into place. The need for a new unit happened almost overnight, so nursing leaders, Kathryn Ufolla, Mark Gemina, Mercedes Lopez, and Kevin Koshy were tasked to open F4E specifically for COVID patients. The Resource Team Nurses were tasked to become the new frontline leaders of the “COVID unit”.
Resource staff are accustomed to working in changing environments, displaying skills of adaptability and flexibility. However, COVID came fast and was unrelenting. The Resource Team had to learn to work together and come together as a “team”. Not only did they do just that, but they proved that nomads with dedicated leaders can accomplish great things as a team. The patients were not only very sick but were also unpredictable in their course of the disease. The Resource Team found ways to creatively turn an empty space into a functioning unit that cared for some of the sickest patients in the hospital. They begged, borrowed, and stole equipment and supplies from all over the hospital to equip the staff with essential tools to care for their patients. They have since seen and treated over 650 COVID patients on F4E.
Also, during the darkest of days, they have cried with countless families over the phone as they held the hands of COVID patients as they passed from this earth. Their hard work, dedication, and acts of compassion have been remarkable to look back on over the last year. The Resource Team and F4E staff have made a difference in the lives of these COVID patients and their families by exemplifying the true meaning of teamwork, resiliency and patient advocacy. There are numerous patient stories that prove these individuals really came together when it mattered most, and they deserve to be recognized for the impact they made during the pandemic.
The Resource Nurses, F4E Nurses, and their nursing leaders continue to selflessly and courageously care for our COVID patients. Quotes from the Resource Team and F4E Nurses:
“Only as a team did we make it through some days. We were there for each other and had to comfort each other, especially when you saw another staff member crying after a bad day. It made us family.”
“Super grateful to have worked here! We had genuine help from the charge nurses –they are all amazing. The charge nurses saw the fire before the flames hit and we all jumped in to take care of the patients.”
“Nurses came in extra, stayed hours after their shift ended, but when it was crazy your team had your back!”
“We had some patients for months and some of them got better and were so thankful for their care. Others we had were not so lucky and we lost a lot of great patients. Somedays were just so sad but you keep “gowning up” and jumping in there as a team to care for the patients, no matter what the situation was.”
“Some days you felt like you could only do so much for the patients medically so any little thing we could do for the patient to make their day a little bit easier, brighter or happier we tried to do. The synergy of this team on F4E has been awesome through it all.”
“It definitely hasn’t been easy! The teamwork and positive attitudes on F4E is what helped us get through this pandemic and allowed us to show up again and again to care for our patients.”
“We were in the jungle of it all. It’s been tough to care for these patients, but I can say that management always provided, and they tried to comfort staff.”
“I remember when we were trying to conserve gowns and would call each other to see if anything else needed to be done for a patient before we took it off and threw it. We were all worried about PPE shortages and not wanting to waste PPE – but somehow we always had what we needed to feel protected.”
Resource staff are accustomed to working in changing environments, displaying skills of adaptability and flexibility. However, COVID came fast and was unrelenting. The Resource Team had to learn to work together and come together as a “team”. Not only did they do just that, but they proved that nomads with dedicated leaders can accomplish great things as a team. The patients were not only very sick but were also unpredictable in their course of the disease. The Resource Team found ways to creatively turn an empty space into a functioning unit that cared for some of the sickest patients in the hospital. They begged, borrowed, and stole equipment and supplies from all over the hospital to equip the staff with essential tools to care for their patients. They have since seen and treated over 650 COVID patients on F4E.
Also, during the darkest of days, they have cried with countless families over the phone as they held the hands of COVID patients as they passed from this earth. Their hard work, dedication, and acts of compassion have been remarkable to look back on over the last year. The Resource Team and F4E staff have made a difference in the lives of these COVID patients and their families by exemplifying the true meaning of teamwork, resiliency and patient advocacy. There are numerous patient stories that prove these individuals really came together when it mattered most, and they deserve to be recognized for the impact they made during the pandemic.
The Resource Nurses, F4E Nurses, and their nursing leaders continue to selflessly and courageously care for our COVID patients. Quotes from the Resource Team and F4E Nurses:
“Only as a team did we make it through some days. We were there for each other and had to comfort each other, especially when you saw another staff member crying after a bad day. It made us family.”
“Super grateful to have worked here! We had genuine help from the charge nurses –they are all amazing. The charge nurses saw the fire before the flames hit and we all jumped in to take care of the patients.”
“Nurses came in extra, stayed hours after their shift ended, but when it was crazy your team had your back!”
“We had some patients for months and some of them got better and were so thankful for their care. Others we had were not so lucky and we lost a lot of great patients. Somedays were just so sad but you keep “gowning up” and jumping in there as a team to care for the patients, no matter what the situation was.”
“Some days you felt like you could only do so much for the patients medically so any little thing we could do for the patient to make their day a little bit easier, brighter or happier we tried to do. The synergy of this team on F4E has been awesome through it all.”
“It definitely hasn’t been easy! The teamwork and positive attitudes on F4E is what helped us get through this pandemic and allowed us to show up again and again to care for our patients.”
“We were in the jungle of it all. It’s been tough to care for these patients, but I can say that management always provided, and they tried to comfort staff.”
“I remember when we were trying to conserve gowns and would call each other to see if anything else needed to be done for a patient before we took it off and threw it. We were all worried about PPE shortages and not wanting to waste PPE – but somehow we always had what we needed to feel protected.”