As a new RN without prior ED experience, there have been a lot of "first times" for me. During a dayshift a women drove up under the canopy near the ED entrance and notified registration that her mother was not breathing and wouldn't wake up in her car. I went out to the canopy with security and an EMT student to help remove the patient from the vehicle and we quickly wheeled her into the ED and called a Code Blue and began initiating CPR.
Without hesitation, Joshua was one of the first nurses to come into the trauma room and help run the code with me. He remained calm and provided closed-loop communication during the code. He assisted in providing medications and hanging drips as the code team together achieved ROSC. The patient was then transferred to CCU.
The next day, Joshua called my personal phone to check-in on how I was doing. He was genuinely interested in how I was processing the event. Joshua let me know that my co-workers were there for me to processes any experiences, especially ones I was not familiar with. I appreciated knowing that my co-workers were concerned about my mental health and wellbeing with processing events in my first year of nursing.
Joshua is an advocate for SMRMC Code Lavender committee. He wants to spread awareness, support, and provide resources to healthcare employees suffering from depression, PTSD, anxiety, and suicide ideation or attempts. Joshua supports other nurses and wants see them succeed as well.