June 2024
Megan
Baas
,
MSN, RN, CCRN
Surgical ICU
NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island
Mineola
,
NY
United States
She advocated for him by calling and informing the appropriate consulting services on the positive direction my father was headed in versus waiting yet another day to hold off on extubation.
Megan took care of my dad in January after suffering a life-threatening cardiac arrest. While each and every single nurse was pivotal in his care and went above and beyond, there were 3 groundbreaking days that would determine how successful the rest of his trajectory was in his recovery. When it came down to teetering with the decision to extubate or not, especially on a weekend, she advocated for my dad and her nursing assessments that she conducted throughout her shift - seeing a perspective of the patient outside of the physicians' rounding. What was initially portrayed as a somnolent patient on rounds, was actually a patient breathing over the ventilator, tolerating O2 weaning, opening his eyes, following commands, and trying to meaningfully interact. She advocated for him by calling and informing the appropriate consulting services on the positive direction my father was headed in versus waiting yet another day to hold off on extubation. She quickly involved and contacted therapy services post-extubation to promote early mobilization, which has been critical in the successful recovery of the patient. She worked tirelessly to help prevent hospital-acquired delirium and worked with her team to move my dad into a room with lighting, which drastically improved his orientation and cognition. In moments of trying to advocate for my dad, especially when it came down to my own expertise in speech-language pathology and nutrition, she ensured that I was given opportunities to advocate for him and my concerns in his proper care. Through all of this, and for how busy she was - she always maintained a positive and professional attitude that made the dark days seem a little brighter knowing that she was his nurse during such pivotal moments. Thank you, times, one million.