Bridgett Watkins
June 2023
Bridgett
Watkins
,
RN
Emergency Department
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
Fairbanks
,
AK
United States

 

 

 

Her voice was soft, steady, and calm and I could see and feel the comfort she brought to these women experiencing the worst day of their lives.
Recently I transitioned to a role in the Emergency Department and have been blown away by the wonderful and amazing team I am honored to be a part of. A few weeks ago, I was working when we got news of the tragedy of two helicopters colliding and the ED braced for the incoming patients. That day Bridgett was working, she was calm amid the storm. As the men started arriving, she went into action. And when it came time to do one of the hardest things in our profession, delivering the worst news to families that their loved one has died, Bridgett never faltered. She proactively asked the military to allow her to prep the casualties so that families did not have to have engrained in their minds the carnage that we had to see that day. She advocated for them and then with love and care dressed wounds, cleaned, and made presentable these men.

And as we gathered the notification teams and delivered the news, Bridgett stood like a solid rock of support for the wives and mothers. She intuitively knew when to simply be present, and when to give information. Her voice was soft, steady, and calm and I could see and feel the comfort she brought to these women experiencing the worst day of their lives. Our hospital and our community are truly blessed to have a nurse like Bridgett when the unthinkable happens and I for one am honored to work beside her and to learn from her. Also, she is an amazing musher and mom (Bridgett ran the Iditarod in 2022 and 2023).