Amy Ward
December 2016
Amy
Ward
,
RN
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States
Amy exemplifies quality, caring and excellence in nursing every day. She creates a compassionate and calming atmosphere for both patients and their families during times of crisis in the intensive care unit. The Cardiac ICU cares for a variety of patients, including adults who have previously lead normal lives. Caring for adult patients in a pediatric hospital is a very delicate balance between nursing care and patient independence. These patients often exhibit signs of anxiety, psychosis, and fear of the unknown in the ICU because of the adjustment to the pediatric hospital experience and the inability to perform basic functions of daily living.
I observed the qualities of a DAISY nurse in Amy through the exemplary way she provided comfort and normality to an adult patient's hospital admission. This patient had a very agonizing hospital admission and has not been out of his hospital ICU room for approximately 2 weeks. As the patient became more alert and positively progressed; he became more aware of his body weakness and struggled to complete normal activities that were once simple. Amy was able to provide confidence to this patient and boost his morale by assisting him out of his hospital room (and off the unit for the first time in a long time) down to the cafeteria despite the monitors, oxygen, and medications that were continuously infusing. Amy sat with the patient and his wife in the cafeteria to enjoy the sunshine through the windows and allow him to eat a "regular" meal. Amy provided care that goes above and beyond regular nursing care.
The Cardiac ICU can be a very busy unit with high acuity patients and Amy was able to put her patient first to provide him with an experience that can very easily be taken for granted. Being provided with this opportunity allowed this patient to experience normality, enjoy an afternoon meal with his wife, and provide a refreshing environment away from the monitors and alarms in the ICU. Amy always puts professional accountability and responsibility above personal comforts (charting, breaks, etc.) to ensure high quality patient care.
I observed the qualities of a DAISY nurse in Amy through the exemplary way she provided comfort and normality to an adult patient's hospital admission. This patient had a very agonizing hospital admission and has not been out of his hospital ICU room for approximately 2 weeks. As the patient became more alert and positively progressed; he became more aware of his body weakness and struggled to complete normal activities that were once simple. Amy was able to provide confidence to this patient and boost his morale by assisting him out of his hospital room (and off the unit for the first time in a long time) down to the cafeteria despite the monitors, oxygen, and medications that were continuously infusing. Amy sat with the patient and his wife in the cafeteria to enjoy the sunshine through the windows and allow him to eat a "regular" meal. Amy provided care that goes above and beyond regular nursing care.
The Cardiac ICU can be a very busy unit with high acuity patients and Amy was able to put her patient first to provide him with an experience that can very easily be taken for granted. Being provided with this opportunity allowed this patient to experience normality, enjoy an afternoon meal with his wife, and provide a refreshing environment away from the monitors and alarms in the ICU. Amy always puts professional accountability and responsibility above personal comforts (charting, breaks, etc.) to ensure high quality patient care.