Abbey is a fairly new Nurse to TSICU, but a long-standing member of the team. She started as a US/PCA and then became an extern. She is invested in the unit and her patients. She demonstrated this in her choices on a day that started badly and went south.

Abbey was caring for a critically ill woman, who was awaiting a transfer for a much-needed lifesaving surgery. The patient was bleeding internally and Abbey was tasked with keeping her stable, managing drips to keep her blood pressure somewhat normal, and giving unit after unit of blood products and fluids. Toward the end of the shift, Abbey had an admission to her empty room. The TSICU Nurse and other coworkers managed the admission, allowing Abbey to provide the care this patient needed. At shift change, as Abbey had completed report off, her critical patient began to downward spiral. Abbey notified the doctor, who ordered emergency surgical consent and more blood products.

Abbey chose to stay with the critical patient until she got to the operating room and finished the new orders for blood, allowing the oncoming RN to focus on the new admission. As Abbey was completing the orders, the OR called saying they were ready for the patient. Abbey felt the patient was still unstable and told the OR that she and the TSICU staff would transport, allowing her to monitor the patient. When the team arrived in the OR, the holding room Nurse met them to take the patient to the holding room. Abbey explained the urgency and that she was told the OR was ready for the patient and the patient had blood products still infusing and on several drips. At that time, a tech came to the desk and said they were supposed to tell them not to call for the patient until the surgeon finished the emergency case he was in.

Aware of the mix-up and taking into account the critical nature of the patient, Abbey said the patient was too unstable to go back and forth so she would just stay with the patient in the holding room until the OR could take her. The Charge Nurse agreed to stay as well.

Abbey is a new mom and could easily have chosen to head home to her baby, but she saw her assignment as a priority. She recognized it would have been difficult for the oncoming RN to pick up mid-stream. Abbey showed respect for her co-workers, empathy for the new admission who needed care, and critical thinking in the decision to provide continuity of care until the doctor took over.

We do what we do because it is a calling. It is nice to see someone put their heart in it.