My father was brought into Mercy Muskegon ER unresponsive requiring intubation and ventilation, a series of labs, scans, placement of central lines, and eventual admission into the ICU where he, unfortunately, ended up passing. There were a series of nursing / medical staff involved in my father's care throughout that time period, but Amy made quite the impression on my mom.

It was a day that I could not be at the Hospital. Now, in came Amy, whom my mom was impressed with right away; stated that the first thing she did was introduce herself, explain what she was going to do, and then spoke to my dad as if he were responsive, explaining to him what she was about to do. Amy always acknowledged my mom, asked her if she needed anything or had any questions. Amy always made sure my mom understood what was going on and what the plan was for the day. Each time she came in, she explained everything she was doing and why. To some, this may seem excessive, but to my mom, this meant the world. She could really see and feel Amy's compassion for what she was doing.

I was lucky enough to meet Amy the next day as well and could instantly see why my mom was so impressed with her. Again, it's the little things that go a long way to the family. We were lucky enough to have Amy 4 days in a row. We understand how exhausting that can be and yet her care never deteriorated. I know the ICU is full and staff are having to multi-task multiple critical patients at a time. We are very thankful to all the staff that were involved in my dad's care but thought that exemplary staff should be noticed for going above and beyond even if to others some think, well that was simple, she just introduced herself and explained what was going on; we all do that. We may, but it was done in a way that stood out. So my advice to others is that even if you think introducing yourself and explaining what you do is tedious .... it goes a long way to a family member in crisis and really appreciated!