The DAISY Award affords us the opportunity to acknowledge and identify those extraordinary nurses. One such nurse is Lauren Engel. Lauren began her career at MSSN as a comfort squad. She completed the student nurse extern program, moved into a PCT, and was hired into the Critical Care Residency program in 2018. She excelled in this role as she says, “due to great preceptors and mentors.” Lauren has cared for the sickest of the sick. As a young nurse just getting grounded, Covid was upon us. Without any preparation, she was caring for 3,4,5, & 6 Critically Ill patients at a time, night after night after night. Through lots of tears and with support of colleagues, she put her knowledge and diverse skills in front of her every day. We have many outstanding nurses with amazing skill sets. This nurse stands out for her exceptional compassion, caring, and clinical expertise.

One morning, she received an admission from the cath lab. The patient was a 54-year-old female, post-stent, that had suffered a cardiac arrest post-procedure. Upon arrival to her unit, the patient was extremely unstable. Low BP, intubated, minimally responsive. Within minutes an Intraaortic balloon pump was inserted, vasopressors initiated, and sedation protocol in place. This patient required frequent assessments of all systems. Within hours she required 4 vasopressors with frequent titration. The patient was evaluated for ECMO, a life -saving intervention performed at our main hospital requiring her to be transferred when stable. For the next 8 hours, Lauren worked literally nonstop without a single moment of a break, in providing interventions while assessing and evaluating these interventions. She partnered with members of cardiology in making sound clinical decisions based on her condition. She took time to spend with the family and keep them informed of their loved one’s condition as this was such a sudden and unexpected situation for them to understand.

The patient was transferred to Mount Sinai Main later that evening. Lauren often tries to follow her patients’ progress. She later learned that this patient was doing well! She was almost back to her baseline in all aspects. This situation is not unusual. Lauren works diligently with all disciplines in obtaining the best outcomes for her patients. Lauren demonstrates true compassion and caring.

One afternoon, she asked a colleague to walk with her to RCU. She said she wanted to check on a patient she had transferred. When she entered the room, she pulled up a chair, held the patient's hand and said, “Hi C, I was your nurse in CCU, I’m glad to see your doing so well.” C had tears in her eyes stating she didn’t even know what happened. She sat next to her bed comforted her and bonded and chatted as though they had known each other for years. C was a patient in CCU for weeks with an unusual viral condition. She was not expected to survive due to her condition and multiple comorbidities.

Lauren has received numerous thank you cards and letters from patients and families. Lauren has a talent for teamwork. She works well with all disciplines and has built relationships on trust and mutual respect. Her knowledge and intuitiveness make her a resource nurse for clinical issues providing newer nurses to advance to a higher level. As evidenced, Lauren is committed to her unit, colleagues, and organization. More importantly, she is committed to her patients. She consistently and continually works diligently to achieve the best patient outcomes.