March 2013
Maria
Jackson
,
RN
Orthopedics
St. Francis Hospital
Columbus
,
GA
United States
Maria demonstrated excellent clinical skills during the assessment of a patient who was diagnosed with a PE and was sent to ICU. She recognized that a patient had a change in condition promptly through her frequent assessments of the patient. The patient's O2 sat dropped with her being short of breath. Maria increased the monitoring of the patient because she immediately felt that the patient was showing signs of having a PE. She alerted the physician and received orders for a CT and D-dimer which confirmed the diagnosis of PE. She remained with the patient until she could be transported for test. On the patient's return to the unit, the patient wanted everyone to know that she felt this nurse saved her life. She wanted Maria to be recognized for being the hero in her care.