A patient was transferred to Flagstaff Medical Center from VVMC in critical condition; this patient had a rare immune disorder in an acute phase requiring emergent plasmapheresis. This patient was our first patient needing plasma exchange therapy here at NAH, and this patient was in FMC MICU, intubated/sedated, and very ill. The staffing to accommodate this patient was less than ideal, as we already had a very high census of inpatient dialysis patients.

Each member of this team stepped up significantly to figure out a staffing plan, in order to provide this patient with much-needed treatment that could make a difference in their outcome. Carla, Savana, and Felicia all came in on their days off to train and run plasmapheresis therapy in the MICU for this patient multiple days in a row. This meant other members of the team, including Troy, had a couple of very long days dialyzing our inpatients to make sure all dialysis patients were cared for, with one shift working from 6 am until 11 pm at night. Each member of this team stepped up significantly to ensure every patient under nephrology service at FMC during that period received care.

In the instance of the TPE patient in MICU, the family shared that they were incredibly grateful for each member of this team who sacrificed personal time to ensure the patient received TPE. Going above and beyond is the standard for this team in terms of staffing our unit and helping each other; each of these individuals does this often and without complaint - over this last weekend, this team once again demonstrated their commitment to our community and our patients.