As a respiratory therapist, I rely on my bedside nurses to be my eyes and ears when I'm busy seeing other patients. Joanna and I had a difficult patient together who was unable to verbalize due to their disease process. As I came in to do my morning assessments and treatments we discussed the patient care as a team and developed a plan for the day.

As the shift progressed, Joanna noted the patient's status seemed to be declining. She called me as the floor RT and we assessed the patient. The patient was increasingly tachypneic, had frequent desaturations, and showed signs of respiratory distress. We called a care team and the decision was made to transfer to the PICU. During this time Joanna was calm and clear about advocating for her patient. We transported the patient together and gave a detailed turnover in the PICU. As we transported, our patient’s O2 saturation decreased to 90%.

After arrival to the new unit when discussing the clinical presentation from the floor, again Joanna advocated for increased respiratory support. Her ability to stay calm and communicate her patient’s needs along with the bedside support was very helpful in developing a quick plan transporting and getting our patient the care he needed before respiratory failure occurred. Joanna is pleasant to work with and always open to suggestions to improve patient care. I was grateful to have such an amazing nurse during my shift.