The situation was that the patient was septic and decompensating rapidly. Vanessa Alvarez advocated for the patient by making necessary calls to facilitate treatment. She used the chain of command to contact everyone that needed to be involved. Once the patient was transferred to ICU, she stayed involved with the case and care of the patient. She noticed a medication that was ordered initially could have potentially complicated the patient's outcome, so she quickly contacted the ICU RN and notified physicians, so the error was caught in time.
Vanessa left at 9 PM that night trying to do her best for the patient. She came back the next day early in the morning to check on the patient and she was informed that a surgeon came in at midnight to perform an emergency surgery because the patient had decompensated. It was on that morning that everyone realized Vanessa's actions and advocacy for the patient were spot on. Thanks to her interventions, the patient didn't wait to have the necessary surgery that saved her life. I feel very proud and thankful to work with such a knowledgeable and caring person. She was the unsung hero for this patient and is a true example of a DAISY Nurse.