Rona Aandahl was floated as a resource nurse. Immediately when she arrived in the unit, she was on it. And if I say she was on it, she was on it. I initially ran into Rona at the nurses station answering the phone. As she hung up the phone, she was on the computer ordering an SCD pump for a new patient that she had apparently helped to settle. Within that short time, a nurse approached me asking for help to place an IV in a patient. Rona, without missing a beat said "I will do that for you, I am very good with IVs". At that point despite our staffing challenge, I realized we are in good hands.
I told the charge nurse that Rona is not the quintessential resource nurse. Many of whom only stick with the traditional PCA duties. Rona’s positive energy and willingness continued throughout the shift.
Once she left to place the IV, we received a new patient from the transplant clinic. Rona came running in there with the vital signs machine and was ready to go. The patient explicitly told me "they normally call the PICC team to get my IV- I am a hard stick". Again Rona, her positive self, never deterred, attempted to place the IV! Throughout the day, she was in and out of the rooms taking vital signs, taking patients to the bathroom, and ambulating them in the hallway.
It was truly a unique day for us. Between 12 pm to 4 pm, we had done three new transplant workups back-to-back. We admitted more than eight surgery patients from PACU and discharged four patients. Rona was truly exceptional, and we couldn't have done it without her help. Rona is the living and breathing example of the manifestation of our mission and value statements.