To those of us not ingrained in the healthcare world, medical terms and hospital systems can seem like a foreign language. One of the best ways to make healthcare relatable is by storytelling, in articles, newscasts and now, in podcasts. Last year, Fox Chase Cancer Center put out a seven-part award-winning series called, Connected by Cancer, which explores the daily life and operations of one of the country’s founding comprehensive cancer centers.

The masterminds behind the series, Andrew Becker and Jeremy Moore, will be leading an incoming Tipton Health Communications webinar on how to tell your organization’s story, through podcasting.

Andrew Becker, MA

Andrew is the director of donor relations at Fox Chase Cancer Center, leading the institution’s efforts to recognize and engage with its donors. He previously served as director of external communications, leading two award-winning print publications and serving as executive producer and host of Connected by Cancer. Earlier in his career, he served in a national communications role at the American Cancer Society and spent several years at Golin. He supported the national rollout of the Truth Initiative tobacco prevention campaign, and managed teen tobacco prevention education efforts for several state departments of health. Other notable accomplishments include leading the media campaign to mark Smokey Bear’s 65th birthday and leading global media relations to celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida State University, and a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University.

Jeremy Moore, MA

As the senior director for communications at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Jeremy serves as counselor to the President & CEO on media relations and government relations and directs a department that produces award-winning publications and strategic internal and external communications. He is responsible for protecting the institution’s brand in times of crisis and promoting its virtues on the widest possible channels. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield, Jeremy has served in similar roles at the American Association for Cancer Research after a long career in journalism at the Associated Press, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Slack Inc. family of medical trade publications.

About the Series

Connected by Cancer is a seven-part narrative series modeled after industry-best journalism series. Each 30-minute episode explores a different facet of the daily life and operations of one of the country’s founding comprehensive cancer centers. The format is to embed the listener into scenes, and then spend the latter part of the episode in conversation with some of the participants or other related experts. The episodes cover the experience of being a patient, and the work of nurses, doctors, cancer researchers, prevention specialists, and volunteers. Episode 7 is a bonus episode, featuring a conversation with a retired lab technician whose late husband made one of the landmark discoveries in the history of cancer research: the Philadelphia Chromosome.

Register for their podcast here.

John Deshotel, RN, Case Manager – Our Lady of the Lake
 

At Our Lady of the Lake, we see the person beyond the patient. An example of the special bond our team creates with each patient we are privileged to serve happened on Tuesday, September 1.

Patient “Jim Doe” was transferred from another hospital to our care on August 8 following a work-related injury, which caused him to undergo multiple complex surgeries on both hands. Throughout his recovery, he interacted with case manager, John Deshotel, RN. During a physical and occupational therapy appointment, John noticed that Jim’s health was beginning to improve. He thought to himself, “How can I provide Jim with a change of scenery?” John requested an order for Jim to receive care beyond the rehab floor, which was granted by his doctor. He brought him to the third-floor balcony of the hospital and saw Jim light up with joy as he experienced breathing in the fresh air. During their time spent together, John learned that Jim’s wife had given birth while he was hospitalized. Since Jim had only met his baby through FaceTime, due to the prior COVID-19 visitor restrictions, John had an idea to make one of their upcoming outings extra special.

John took Jim to the hospital’s beautiful Assisi garden for what Jim thought was just another day outside. As John wheeled Jim into the garden, a familiar face began to appear in the distance. It only took Jim a moment to realize it was his wife walking towards him holding their newborn son, who he was about to meet for the very first time. Jim was overwhelmed with emotion. This heartwarming reunion was made possible by John, who saw the person beyond the patient and understood that there is no better medicine than family. Thank you, John, for being the Spirit of Healing.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

The COVID-19 Nurse Liaison Task Force Implementation at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ
 

The shared governance model warrants that clinical leaders on the frontline make empowered, team-oriented decisions at the point of care for the betterment of the organization. At Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), a needs assessment revealed an obligation to restructure the organization’s flow of communication during recent events in our nation’s history.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the visitation policy was amended indefinitely, while continuing to protect MMC staff, patients, and the community at large. This proved challenging to the patients and their loved ones, who had been prohibited from visiting at that time. While patients were encouraged to utilize the telephone and video capabilities of available smart devices to communicate with their friends and family, part of the patient population remained at a disadvantage. Those with disabilities, sensory deficits, cognitive deficits, or language barriers did not benefit from such technology. To remedy this, staff nurse Lauren Fleming, MA, BSN, RN-BC, and other frontline nurses launched the COVID-19 Nurse Liaison Task Force to bridge communication between the healthcare team, the patients, and their loved ones with a new role and structure. Lauren is the former Chairperson of the Patient Care Coordinating Council (PCCC)—a shared governance steering committee—as well as former Chairperson and current consultant of the Medical-Surgical Shared Governance Council.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety, “Patient and family engagement creates an environment in which clinicians, hospital staff, patients and families work together as partners to improve the quality and safety of care” (AHRQ, 2017). This guide finds that in addition to the benefits regarding patient outcomes, patient and family engagement helps hospitals respond to Joint Commission standards that recognize the need for patients and families to be active and informed decision-makers throughout care. The nurse liaisons were tasked with championing this partnership while upholding MMC’s mission and vision amid dire circumstances.

Six professional registered nurses, who operated in a designated office with telephone and computer capabilities, while maintaining appropriate social distancing and infection control precautions, filled the liaison role in the medical-surgical division. They were assigned a telephone number in correspondence with their workstation and had access to the electronic medical record. They were expected to clock in for full eight-hour shifts, five days a week, and coverage spanned Monday through Sunday. Schedules were made in two-week increments and relayed promptly to their respective directors of patient care, the MMC Command Center, and the staffing department.

The nurse liaisons worked directly with the designated COVID-19 units. Each nurse liaison was assigned to an ongoing caseload of positive COVID-19 patients and persons under investigation for COVID-19 (PUIs) and remained with this group through discharge or until a change in the care plan. This continuity of care built trust and rapport with the patients and their loved ones.

Per HIPAA, a designated loved one (“point of contact” person) was determined for each patient. Once permission for the correspondence was obtained, the nurse liaison served as the main line of communication between the healthcare team and the point of contact. Nurse liaisons directly reported to the Magnet office and worked with directors of patient care, unit nurse leaders, physicians, advanced practice nurses, medical residents, case managers, social workers, other healthcare providers, dieticians, and Patient Satisfaction on the COVID-19 unit in which their patient was admitted. Predetermined topics of discussion with points of contact included: questions for the primary nurse, questions for the physicians, questions for the care team, plan of care, medications and side effects, discharge instructions. Nurse liaisons also followed up with the patients after discharge to ensure they were comfortable, their concerns were addressed, and recommended infection safety guidelines were understood.

Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety also links evidence between communication, safety, and quality: “Communication is the foundation of partnerships between the patient, family and clinicians and affects the safety and quality of care received during the hospital stay” (AHRQ, 2017). It is noted in the guide that effective communication can improve standards such as patient outcomes, patient safety, and perceptions of quality. To bolster communication between the task force and frontline staff, a script was provided to the nursing stations and operators. Informational flyers on the initiative were handed to COVID-19-positive patients and PUIs on admission. By taking these actions, the nurse liaisons ensured that everyone worked together to achieve these standards. To further amplify communication, the task force’s accomplishments and family feedback through Patient Satisfaction were presented to the Patient Care Management Council (PCMC) and the PCCC as a model of best practice within MMC. The PCMC is one of the specialty councils of shared governance.

The main goal of this role was to enable open channels of communication in the best interest of the patient. In addition to this enhanced communication, the nurse liaison position permitted the interdisciplinary team directly caring for COVID-19 patients to spend valuable time in the isolation rooms instead of answering multiple phone calls throughout the shift, which helped to conserve personal protection equipment. The task force was so successful in the medical-surgical division that it was replicated in the Intensive Care Unit.

The COVID-19 pandemic and New Jersey–mandated visitor restrictions forced a chasm between the hospital and patients’ loved ones. By self-assessing the needs of the patients, their points of contact, and the interdisciplinary team, the nurse liaisons tailored the task force’s initiatives to meet MMC’s standards of care and exceed expectations. Through the utilization of teamwork and best practice, they adjusted the task force’s function to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. The COVID-19 Nurse Liaison Task Force acted as a conduit, thereby facilitating a partnership between the interdisciplinary team and the families for the betterment of the patient population.

For more information about this best practice, contact Lauren Fleming, MA, BSN, RN-BC, at Lauren.Fleming@rwjbh.org.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 
 

Internet Citation:

Information to Help Hospitals Get Started. Content last reviewed December 2017. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.

Kari Szczechowski, IMC, Magnet Program Coordinator – Beaumont Trenton
 

Stephanie Lemoine, BSN, RN, made a recommendation to have windows placed in IMC doors for the ICU patients that they were receiving so that the team could have a visualization of these patients for their safety. Stephanie submitted this for quality review on March 31 as she saw it as a patient safety concern. After administration obtained quotes for the windows and coordinated with facilities and the vendor, the windows were installed on May 1 into six patient IMC patient room doors. On that day, the IMC staff worked to move patients to different areas of the unit to remove them from the construction occurring to these patient rooms.

They constantly communicated with the patients to inform them of this process and inform them why it was being done, while also contacting family members to let them know why their family members were being temporarily relocated to a different room. Through Stephanie’s recommendation, the IMC is now well-equipped to handle ICU overflow if another surge should occur, allowing them to provide safe patient care to these patients in an isolation setting.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Heather Allen, Cath Lab – Beaumont Trenton
 

The pandemic that affected Michigan early this year brought nursing and hospital staff to the frontline. Wanting to help and ready to do their part in this fight, Cath Lab nurses truly stepped up, right from the frightening beginning. Nursing staff readily dispersed to help in the emergency room and signed up to be redeployed to the intensive care units. These nurses were ready to support the patients and families in the area where they work and live.

Upon learning that the previous plan to develop an intensive care unit in the outpatient surgery center was not going to work, the team came together to turn the Cath Lab pre-/post-procedural area into an intensive care unit overnight. All staff, with help from multiple different departments, had a hands-on board. The Cath Lab team worked all hours of the day and night to staff a new unit with the surgical ICU team while still covering a 24-hour call schedule and staffing a cardiac catheterization unit and interventional radiology unit for emergent procedures. By staff stepping up to work extra shifts and all different hours, Beaumont Trenton was able to keep their STEMI program and Interventional Radiology department open for emergencies in the area it serves. True teamwork showed when nurses and staff from different units throughout the hospital joined together and made sacrifices to care for our community and patients. Nurses from specialty units such as PACU and Cath Lab took on intensive care patient assignments with assistance from one surgical ICU nurse per shift.

Patients and families were especially vulnerable during this time. The Cath Lab nurses made the extra effort to help families have a voice and support their family members in such a scary situation. By using FaceTime, making extra phone calls, and taking the time to learn about the interests of their patients, nurses helped to ease the difficult situation and care for their patients and families. Taking extra steps to work with families was key to progressing through the added challenge of limited visitation and contact. Patients often felt isolated and required empathetic and caring nurses to aid in their recovery, especially as family was not available to join the care team in person. These nurses truly were there for patients and families during this time.

Katie Sturgill, BSN, RN, Clinical Manager, was an outstanding leader as she inspired the team with her communication and scheduling skills, dedication, and emotional support. Jill Assed, RN, Heather Allen, RN, Robyn Clevinger, RN, Trisha Cooney, BSN, RN, Chelsea Foucher, RN, Tammy Shivel, RN, Chelsey Thackery, BSN, RN, Corri Wotta, BSN, RN, and Keli Wludyka, RN, were nurses that deserve recognition for going above and beyond for their patients, families, and community.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Marifel (Max) Axalan, BSN, RN, CNN, Nurse Clinician – NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
As I sat down and contemplated my unit’s experience during the pandemic, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. My throat was tight, my eyes were blurry, and the tears just kept falling. “I survived COVID-19! My teammates survived COVID-19!” I could hear my brain screaming over and over, “This is victory!” Or is it?

It was March 16 when N2/N8 Hemodialysis and Apheresis nurses were finally called into action: Dialyze COVID-19-positive patients. Our patients need us. We were physically at our patients’ bedside for over four hours straight from beginning to end of dialysis treatments. We endured the profuse sweating under our PPE (like having continuous “hot flashes”). We didn’t dare leave our patients’ side for bathroom breaks so we held the urge until the treatments were done. In those fearful moments, we knew we were extremely exposed and vulnerable to this unknown enemy. But we were all determined to fight it with all our might. We had to win this battle for our patients, for our families, and for each other. Our team became more cohesive than ever. We shared each other’s strategies on how best to protect ourselves. We wore impermeable blue isolation gowns, we used face shields, N95 masks, surgical masks, shoe covers, bonnets, anything available—we had them on. Endless hand-washing and disinfecting. Without a doubt, our infection control practices were above and beyond! Our staff bathroom was even outfitted with a shower we could use at the end of our shifts. It felt like we washed away some of the fears at bringing the enemy home to our loved ones. But in that tiny corner of our hearts, the dread and uncertainty lingered.

We were so thankful to have had the immense support of our empowered department and NewYork-Presbyterian leaders; the dedication demonstrated by our equally committed partners (Medical Director, Nephrology Team, and Hemodialysis Technicians); and lastly our hardworking NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell colleagues, associates, and support staff. Indeed, our mission was made possible by the unsurpassed generosity of our institution to provide us the supplies and equipment we desperately needed while other institutions were found lacking. Not to mention the bountiful nourishment, free accommodations and transportation, laundered scrubs, financial and mental health support, and so much more. Indeed, all these provisions and resources kept us going. Somehow, the heavy burden became bearable. We were beyond grateful.

The trials and tribulations came in droves. Our patients were acutely sick and we never knew when the next time we would see them would be. Our goodbyes seemed more frequent. But there was one goodbye we never imagined saying…to one of our own. Our hearts were broken. Our resilience wavered, and our spirit—almost defeated. She was a fearless warrior. An extraordinary nurse who possessed unrivaled grit and valor. We missed her dearly and found comfort amongst each other. Emotional support poured in even from strangers.

In the midst of all this unimaginable devastation and anguish, our faith was our lifeline. It held us steadfast. Prayers were our constant companion and ally, our infinite source of strength. We filled our minds with positive thoughts to rebuild our spiritual defenses. Our heart-to-heart virtual or phone conversations with families and friends and near others strengthened our grip on our daily emotional struggles. Our nutritious dietary intake and the fanatical regimen of doses of vitamin C, prebiotics, probiotics, and other immune-boosting supplements kept our physical defenses almost impenetrable.

Looking back, the whole experience seemed surreal. And so here we are—heart in pieces, bruised faces, battered spirits, but still standing strong and hopeful. Our Hemodialysis/Apheresis Unit even won 2020 Weill Cornell’s much coveted Structural Empowerment Award. Truly, we are all in this together. Without a doubt, this is victory.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Michele Gaguski, RN (pictured left), Christine Miller, RN, Susan Saporito, RN (pictured right)
Like the rest of the country, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health New Jersey was up to the challenge of providing care for our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oncology nurse navigators collaborated with the entire cancer center team to be frontline screeners for the cancer center and perform a quick COVID-19 assessment, take temperatures, and guide patients to a safe visit.

While screening a patient, I overheard the name of one of my navigated patients that I supported frequently. I introduced myself as her nurse navigator and our eyes smiled at each other above our masks as we air-hugged. This was the new normal during this pandemic. Even though our face-to-face meeting was now through a mask and shield, it provided a glimpse of the human touch. Throughout the pandemic, nursing leadership met with the nurse navigators to learn more about the usefulness and versatility of telehealth for patients with cancer and the utility of this technology within the navigation department. The nurse navigator team was continuing to reach patients via phone to provide support, education, and guidance. Thinking this through with nursing leadership and the breast center team, the idea of using telehealth for nurse navigation was explored.

Telehealth was being used successfully for medical and nurse practitioner provider visits in all the departments. It became clear that it was time to bring this technology to nurse navigation. This was a team effort with the breast center team, nursing leadership, telehealth support team, and the informatics technology (IT) team. A schedule was created with our Epic EMR system for the nurse navigator team at our cancer center and allowed a face-to-face connection for patients with their nurse navigators. The nurse navigators enrolled and attended telehealth training. It quickly became apparent that the time and energy invested in telehealth was more than worthwhile.

To start, the navigators are piloting and collecting data with the use of telehealth in patients with breast cancer. Nurse navigation now calls the patient prior to their breast surgical consultation as an introduction and schedules a telehealth visit following that appointment for further follow-up. Oncology nurse navigators can once again “meet” with patients and deliver nursing care virtually throughout the cancer care continuum. We completed our first telehealth visit with a patient with newly diagnosed breast cancer. The telehealth visit lasted for 25 minutes, during which we reviewed her plan of care. I was able to assess the patient’s level of anxiety by the look on her face when she said, “I want to be told the truth about my condition even if it’s not good news.” This was an important need for her, and I also assessed the level of understanding and engagement with our discussion by her facial expressions and the fact she was writing down several points of information as we spoke. Being able to see her face-to-face not only helped with my assessment, but it also provided a personal touch that enabled and improved patient experience during this time.

Data is being collected on tele-navigation volumes, the number of barriers identified, and the number of visits completed successfully without having to revert to the phone. With the use of this data, the team will continue to improve our tele-navigation program while delivering an exceptional patient experience during these unprecedented times.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Marilee Mann, BSN, RN, Medical Intensive Care Unit – Henry Ford Hospital
Today was my first actual loss at Henry. I lost my first patient to COVID. I have taken care of two months’ worth of COVID-positive patients, but today was different. Today it was my turn to talk to family, comfort them, and tell them I would stay at the bedside until his last breath was taken. And today I did just that…I played him classical music, held his hand, stroked his hair and was just present with him as he did, in fact, take his last breath. When “we” nurses say we will be there, we will. We lost three patients in the last 24 hours. This is hard. Today was hard. That being said…we are in this together and look out for one another. Today I was asked by a staff doc how I was doing, hearing about the patient that had passed the night before. The patient I had today, his “brother,” asked me how I was doing with all of this—he is losing a family member and is asking about how I am doing?!

Our chaplain came up today doing his rounds…he asked how I was holding up. Today another favorite staff doc bought the entire Medical ICU team lunch (and dinner) to show his gratitude. The food was fantastic and much appreciated…shout-out to Rocco’s Italian Deli in Midtown.

We had a patient attempt an “escape” and scoot out of bed and sat straight on the floor—that was fun. Hahaha.

My manager put together a video of the staff on our unit during this pandemic—a collection of photos—we watched it as a group today. Tamara said, “And look at us all smiling, we smiled through all of this…how have we smiled through all of this?”

We only had seven patients today in our ICU, out of 12 beds…and we lost two of them in our 12-hour shift. This is just my little slice of ICU life today.

Today had to be one of my toughest days at Henry. Today really hurt. Today I ugly-cried, with mascara-streaked cheeks under my riot gear. Today I FaceTimed my patient for his family, so they could say goodbye. I sat at my patient’s bedside while one by one his family said goodbye. They cried, they told him how much they loved him, how much they would miss him, how unfair this virus is. For 30 minutes I held that phone, my heart completely breaking for them. This tragic personal moment where a child said goodbye to his father, a mother pleading with God to take her son’s pain away, all while I, a complete stranger, listened. When they had said their last goodbyes, I turned the phone towards my face, promising them he would not be alone, I would stay with him, I would keep him free from pain, and just how sorry I was, all while choking back my tears. When I left his room after the call I fell apart, the ugly-crying I referred to earlier. This is horrible—no one should have to say goodbye to their family member via FaceTime. He passed 47 minutes later with a stranger holding his hand.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Jeanie Hubert, OR RN – Hunterdon Medical Center
COVID-19 had a silver lining for me because it allowed me to use my skills as a medical-surgical nurse to care for others when it was desperately needed. I have been an operating room nurse for the last four years; however, I have a background in medical-surgical nursing. In the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to put my “med-surg nurse hat” back on and put my skill set to good use.

During the months of March, April, and May, I was redeployed as an emergency room nurse at Hunterdon Medical Center. I was able to use my skills in medical-surgical nursing that I do not normally employ on a daily basis in the operating room. Jeanie the med-surg nurse was back in full force; in the blink of an eye, I was starting IVs, drawing bloodwork, administering various medications and treatments, and performing numerous bedside procedures in an emergency room that was overwhelmed with patients. The emergency room never slowed down during the 12-hour shifts that I worked. The other (incredible) nurses and I gave our all to these patients; we worked in sixth gear from the minute that we arrived to the minute that we were able to go home. We were absolutely exhausted at the end of each day.

In addition to serving in the ER, I worked at pop-up field hospitals just outside New York City. These hospitals were rapidly constructed by the U.S. military. Patient rooms were merely cots that were separated by curtains. Six large oxygen tanks fed each patient “wing,” with oxygen tubing running directly to each individual room. One medication cart supplied each wing. It was like the television show M*A*S*H came to real life in 2020. I truly felt like I was in a movie of some kind. I worked 12- to 14-hour shifts straight through—not taking any breaks to eat, drink, or use the bathroom because I did not want to remove my mask (or my hazmat suit). I averaged about 70 hours per week, caring for patients infected with COVID-19. Almost daily I watched patients die from respiratory failure, despite our best efforts to recover them. I watched the patients rapidly deteriorate right in front of me. I cared for patients of all ages; some as young as their early 20s were unable to maintain their oxygen saturation above 90% without supplemental oxygen. It was the most horrific experience in the seven years that I have been a nurse, without a doubt.

I am thankful for the experiences that I had as a professional; however, I am deeply saddened by the impact of COVID-19. Many patients did not survive, and my heart is heavy with grief for those we could not save. This experience was life-changing; I appreciate the simple things in life—like a “typical day at work” or a bright and sunny day—on a whole new level.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Madelyn Torakis, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Director, Nursing Excellence and Magnet Program – Henry Ford Hospital
September 23, 2013. My first day as an employee of Henry Ford Hospital (HFH). I was hired into this amazing organization to help lead the efforts to achieve Magnet® designation, the highest honor and recognition for nursing excellence in the world. I worked hand in hand with Gwen Gnam, Chief Nursing Officer and VP Patient Care Services, on this journey. We built programs from the ground up, revised existing programs and reinforced a culture of excellence, autonomy and pride amongst our nursing staff. Finally, in February 2019, we submitted all the supporting documents to the Magnet Recognition Program for review by a team of appraisers. We waited for a response, submitted additional clarification documents and waited some more. The next step in the process involved a site visit by the appraiser team, which we were finally granted in January 2020. It was an amazing three days! The appraisers were wowed with everyone they spoke with—nurses, physicians, support staff. All this took place before we even thought about or even really heard about the coronavirus. Although it was only a few short months ago, it feels like it was in another lifetime.

After the site visit, we waited again, this time to receive a call from the Magnet office informing us that the Commission on Magnet Recognition wanted to call us publicly to announce their decision. That call came to us on Thursday, March 12. We arranged for our official call to take place on Friday, March 20, at 9:15 a.m. We were understanding more about the coronavirus by this point and the guidelines indicated gatherings of no more than 250 people. We had dreamed of this day for 6½ years and we knew that the Buerki auditorium could easily accommodate that number of people. After all, we had planned a big celebration! By Monday, March 16, however, gatherings of 250 people or less was changed to 50 people or less, and by Wednesday, March 18, it was down to no more than 10! We decided that the coronavirus was not going to rob us of our joy, so we gathered 10 of us on the stage in the Buerki (maintaining social distancing), invited people to join us on the conference call and live-streamed it on the SONIFI TVs on the units. We received the great news we had hoped for and the 10 of us celebrated as if there were 100 of us in the room! We were finally being recognized as a Magnet hospital—something we had known we were all along!

Very quickly after our designation call, HFH went into full COVID-19 survival mode. It has been challenging to say the least, but I can honestly say that we have proven over and over again why we are a Magnet hospital. Leadership, teamwork, resiliency, advocacy, autonomy, compassion, innovation, dedication and tenacity. These are only some of the words to describe the culture of Henry Ford Hospital. We know that together we will make it through to the other side of this. And when we do, there will be much to celebrate (with a gathering of more than 250 people)!

A note from one of the Magnet appraisers:

“You all have been in my thoughts especially as I see all the stories of what HFH is facing during this pandemic and all that you are doing to care for the people of Detroit. It was an honor and a privilege to visit your organization and I am so happy for all of you. My very best wishes to you, Gwen, Ronnie and all the fabulous nurses at HFH.”

Click below to hear Madelyn’s story firsthand.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Trisha Brazeal, BSN, RN, I6-Neuro Stepdown Unit – Henry Ford Hospital
Looking back now, it all seems like it was a bad dream. I remember hearing about COVID on the news and thought to myself, “It will never get bad in the US.” I would soon realize how wrong I really was. I was an assistant manager for a stroke/neuro stepdown unit. We had two units, one with 18 beds, and one with eight. We had some critical patients at times, but typically they would be transferred to the Neuro ICU. But we were nowhere near prepared for what was about to unfold. My manager had left for vacation, and I was ready to take on the challenge of leading the unit for the next two weeks. By the end of the first week, we transformed our eight-bed unit into a COVID GPU, requiring a whole new medical team that what we were not used to. The patient population was also much different. The staff was learning about COVID, proper PPE, and working with new physicians. It was an adjustment, but the unit was up for the challenge. After a week, we seemed to be getting the flow down. Everyone was well-versed in proper donning and doffing of PPE. It seemed like we were ready to fight the strong fight.

About 10 days later, after learning my manager would not be returning for an additional two weeks due to quarantining, I received the meeting invitation in my email titled, “I6 ICU.” They had mentioned the possibility of utilizing our 18-bed unit as an ICU. I truthfully thought it would not come to that. I sat in the boardroom waiting for the meeting, with my manager and educator on the phone. I remember when my administrator came with the news: “We will be turning your unit into an ICU by tomorrow morning.” So many emotions flooded in. “What staff are going to work there? What supplies do we need? How are we going to do this?” I felt sick and scared. I have an extensive ICU background, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. That day we hit the ground running. I had the best team behind me to get everything in place. Phone call after phone call for supplies, respiratory, clinical engineering, pharmacy, the ICU physician needs; it seemed like a never-ending list of preparation. I held a huddle with both shifts that evening before leaving. I made the announcement about the ICU opening the next day, I offered reassurance that support would be provided, and the neuro ICU nurses would be there to help as well. I looked around at them and many of their faces turned pale. I promised them I would do whatever was in my power to make sure that they were supported. I went home scared and nervous for the next day. As I walked on the unit the next day, I felt optimistic. The night shift nurses helped get the stock together; all the PPE was stocked up and ready to go. People kept showing up to help, and I felt like the unit ready to go. Then we heard the code blue called overhead for the floor below us. The ICU nurses jumped into action, training the step-down nurses along the way. The patient was on the cusp of needing life support. What felt like moments later, the next code blue came overhead. We took that patient as well. The nurses were having to learn about vents, drips, and running their own codes, things we never had to do before. Not only were we turning into an ICU, but with some of the sickest patients ever. Emotions were high, stress levels were rising, but we made it through the first day. When I left that evening, we had admitted six patients. I went home ready for the next day to come. I thought, “We can do this!” The next day will last in my memories forever.

We admitted around 10 patients, intubated eight, and placed lines on almost all of them. I looked around at the faces of my nurses and saw tears. They all were completely terrified and stepping out to cry in between care. I didn’t know what to do, it was one of the most challenging times in leadership I have ever faced and will ever face. I walked up and down the halls all day, jumping in to help, offering reassurance and emotional support, and helping educate the staff. Then an employee was admitted. Three nurses came into my office and cried. One of our own was slowly making their way to needing life support. I remember looking at my educator and saying, “It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.” After looking around, and seeing some of the sickest patients I had ever seen in my career, I called my husband and mom. We had to make the difficult decision for my son to live with my mom until everything settled down, I was scared; I was scared for anyone to be around me. What if I brought COVID home? I couldn’t risk my son or my mom’s health. Later that day, the staff physician approached me about proning patients. We had to start proning. Thinking back on my career in MICU I can only remember a few times having to do this. I remember being nervous about it then, and that was with a lot of experienced ICU staff around to help and support me. Now I was expecting my nurses to help facilitate this when they had never even seen this done before! But they amazed me. We were able to prone six patients by the next day! When I finally convinced myself it was time to go home that evening, I remember walking through the hospital feeling horribly defeated. I told myself, “Don’t cry until you get to your car.” I didn’t want the staff to see me cry. I knew they were barely holding it together and I needed to stay strong for them. When I got to my car the tears started flowing. I cried until I just decided I cried enough, I was going to stay strong. Crying was replaced with a constant knot in my stomach. Always wondering what would happen next. I didn’t cry again. These patients needed us more than anything right now, and I had to stay strong for them and the staff.

Over the next several weeks, it became easier and easier. The staff became more confident, my manager returned, and the hospital did a tremendous job. We never ran out of PPE. We were able to get ICU nurses redeployed to us to help. The nurses began learning a new skill set. It felt like the new norm for our unit. This experience will live with me forever. It helped me grow as a nurse and a leader. I am forever grateful for all that helped and supported through that difficult time. I could not have asked for a better team than my unit – they were courageous and amazing.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Michelle Churches, MSN, RN, Staff Nurse — Kellogg Eye Center PACU
Crisis: “A stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events is determined; a turning point”

2020, the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. It has been an incredible journey so far.

I currently work as a PACU staff nurse at the Kellogg Eye Center (KEC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Michigan Medicine).

My 41-year hospital career is broad: ED Clerk, Phlebotomist, Pediatric ED RN, Pediatric Trauma Nurse Coordinator, ED Phone Triage, Adult Pulmonary ICU, Accreditation and Regulatory Readiness Staff Specialist, Expert Witness/Legal Nurse Consultant, Pediatric PACU Nurse, Adult PACU Nurse, Ophthalmic PACU Nurse. All of these honed skills would be reactivated during this deployment.

March 26, 2020, I volunteered to be deployed from the Kellogg Eye Center PACU (ASC) to help “on the hill” at the main hospital(s) covering 21 COVID ICUs/departments. Michigan Medicine (MM) has three hospitals: University Hospital (UH), The Cardiovascular Center (CVC), and Mott Children’s Hospital.

My deployment assignment: Team Coordinator, Safety Monitor Team…a team that never existed before the pandemic. Michigan Medicine’s in-house bio-containment unit was created from the ashes. Our role as Safety Monitors (SMs) was to keep MM’s staff and faculty safe by monitoring donning and doffing of PPE “in the moment” (like during codes when teams instinctually rush in to help save the patient, emergency tracheostomies, multiple codes on the same unit at the same time, etc.)

I would be responsible to train, orient, answer questions from staff and ICU Leadership, resource policies (ever-changing), schedule the continual onboarding and offboarding staff, and handle personnel issues (call-ins, emergencies, etc.) that arise with the daily functions of any hospital unit and any other issue from anyone that had my email, pager or mobile phone number.

My direct reports for deployment: UH OR Education Supervisor Valerie Marsh, DNP, MSN, RN. I would be working under Val and also taking lead from Gretchen Pagac, MSN, RN, Senior Director of Nursing and Associate Chief Operating Officer, University of Michigan Medical Group. I would work in the “old” Mott Children’s Hospital (near and dear to my heart) and repurpose someone’s abandoned desk and computer (furloughed employee) (ahem…I took over their office).

My past ED triage skills would quickly be put to use.

The challenge: We had no central meeting place (unit) (we were to cover 21 units in three hospitals 24/7). There was no central means of communication. Staff came from several of our off-site and main OR/PACUs/Procedural Areas—many of whom I had never met before.

In our home units (ASC) most of us work eight-hour day shifts, M–F. With the C-19 crisis, our CNE shifted nursing to work 12-hour shifts covering 24/7. Some would be assigned to work the 12-hour midnight shifts (many had not worked midnights in over 20 years) to cover the ICU needs (you know where I am going with this…).

I am glad there was no popularity poll sent out during this time.

I kept reminding myself that the focus of my role was to staff the units to support MM nursing and faculty, keeping MM employees and our community safe from the spread of C-19, and proceeded with daily operations. I would demonstrate compassion to my team of SM by allowing them to self-schedule as much of their work-life as possible during this crisis. I was also here to support them during this pandemic, too.

I knew this was not going to be a one-woman job. With Val’s approval, I quickly recruited help from a few of my KEC colleagues I knew I could trust and rely on. I quickly learned from Val that I had her full support. We knew we could trust each other’s decisions. We had each other’s back. This is imperative in a leadership role.

Kevin Dombrowski, RN (KEC OR), and Shelly Robbins, RN (KEC PACU), became the SM Team Charge Nurses. I was able to utilize the talents of Jillian Bowers, BSN, RN (ASC), OR Educator, to assist us in training the Safety Monitors. The amazing fact: We, the four of us, “stood up” 92 SMs (trained and oriented, staffed) covering 21 ICUs in less than 14 days. We worked closely with the Safety Management Team and the Infection Prevention Department. Collaboration was key to daily operations.

On New Team Development

Tuckman’s stages of group development: forming, storming, norming and performing. All necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, face challenges (there were many), tackle problems, find solutions, plan work and, most importantly, deliver results.

Forming: Team meets and learns about opportunities and agrees on goals; acts independently.
Storming: Group sorts itself out; members gain each other’s trust. This stage often starts when they voice their opinions and, as a result, conflicts may arise between members as power and status are assigned. It identifies a different hierarchy of status positions in the group.
Norming: Resolved disagreements and personality clashes result in greater intimacy and a spirit of cooperation. This happens when the team is aware of the competition and they share a common goal. In this stage, all team members take on the responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success and goals of the team. They tolerate the whims and fancy of other team members. The danger here is that team members may be so focused on preventing conflict that they are reluctant to share controversial ideas.
Performing: With group norms and roles established, members focus on achieving common goals, often reaching an unexpectedly high level of success. By this time, team members are motivated and knowledgeable. Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participating. The team will make most of the decisions. A change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming, as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team.
Adjourning: Completing the task and breaking up the team.

Communication

As with any crisis, clear, concise, sustained, up-to-date communication is of utmost importance. I created a new email group (central) communication (PPE-Safety-Monitor) including both Safety Management and Infection Prevention/Epidemiology Leadership, to keep all of the team informed. This email group allowed us to close the loop on many issues in a short amount of time. Our findings (safety breaches) were immediately communicated by the Director of Safety Management to the Command Center, the top leadership at MM.

Jillian, our Nurse Educator, quickly taught me how to navigate Google Docs to create live, online scheduling for the SM Team to view from their smartphones (remember, we did not have a brick-and-mortar SM unit). All of us extended ourselves to levels we never thought possible.

In turn, we were teaching the SMs how to access Google Docs from their phones to view their schedule. We were building the plane as we were flying!

Kevin and Shelly (charge nurses) created online assignment sheets so staff would know which ICU to report to. They emailed the assignment sheets out 24 hours prior (mostly…) to the next shift to keep staff informed and tame any anxieties. We frequently had to shift staff to various units based on the ever-changing hospital bed census. Constant flux. Rolling with it!

Hindsight: The disease process itself is just as stated on World News Tonight and every bit of what you may have read in your local paper. Same struggles, different places and faces. The pandemic exposed our vulnerabilities (globally/local) and the lens is focused on leadership and change.

Pandemic Leadership Perspectives

Leadership, Communication and Relationships

The C-19 pandemic has instilled lessons from the federal level all the way down to local levels. The highest leadership decisions are felt globally but were/are palpable at a granular level (in the ICUs and in public health—our communities). Some federal and global leadership decisions became painfully prominent during the pandemic (global PPE/C-19 spread). There was real hubris on the part of public health officials from the very start. The lack of federal leadership meant that states lacked a unified approach.

In the days and weeks that followed, politicians, public health officials and rival academics disparaged or ignored their colleagues. Some even worked to undermine the warnings at crucial moments, as the disease spread unnoticed.

Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice….

I would listen to NPR radio on my commute before and after my shifts, watched World News Tonight, and read anything I could get my hands on pertaining to the pandemic world events. I was trying to make sense of what I heard in the various forms of media and what I was observing clinically in the ICUs….

We live in a world that we cannot control. People defy our plans and let us down. Circumstances bring us to our knees. Planes fly into buildings. And it all happens without our permission.

Once we learn to bring all of that misdirected energy to what we can control, and learn to respond to both the good and the bad in a way that serves us, the meaning of our lives is enhanced and we find greater power, peace and success in our lives.

I have learned that most people believe learning and growth come from looking at something new and finding the familiar in it, but it is the opposite that is actually true. When we see the familiar world differently, we will behave differently in it, because it simply is not possible to respond in a way that is not congruent with what we see and still remain sane. If you have tried to change your behavior without first changing your perspective, you have probably met some form of failure.

We live in an out-of-control world, and there is nothing we can do to change that fact. But the success and happiness we all seek is not out of our control. And the key to finding it lies in our ability to know how to accept what we cannot control and bring all of our energy to what we can. This is when our energy turns to power. It is in the power of losing control. 

On Trust

Working together more effectively requires trust. It is not usually long until you hear someone say “Trust…has to be earned!”

Trust cannot exist until it is given. Trust is born of giving, not of earning. And the giving requires a leap of faith. Both faith and trust derive their ultimate power from the giving, not from the earning.

Historical Perspective and Fun Fact

(Because I Love Trivia!)

At home, to gain a better understanding of the pandemic, I began to read historical medical books. I love to read. My favorite medical history book was Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney.

Much like COVID-19, the Spanish Flu exposed mankind’s vulnerability and put our ingenuity to the test. This overlooked catastrophe forever changed humanity.

Interesting Historical Facts: The Spanish Flu of 1918

In the global reshuffle post–Spanish Flu of 1918, many dependents found themselves deprived of their breadwinners. Many families went to the poorhouse.

However, among them were some lucky beneficiaries of life insurance policies: The U.S. life insurance industry paid out nearly $100 million in claims after the 1918 pandemic—the equivalent of $20 billion today.

Upon his death from the Spanish Flu of 1918, one German immigrant to America left his widow and son a sum of insurance money. They invested it in property, and today the immigrant’s grandson is a property magnate, purportedly worth billions. His name is Donald Trump.

Self-Reflection

Attaining wisdom is an ongoing process, one that will never be concluded so long as we live and grow. Both you and I will always live in a world that is beyond our control. That is the way things are—and the way they are supposed to be. Our power lies in recognizing how much of life is constructed of the choices we make, one moment, one thought and one response at a time.

That is all the power any of us has. It is all the power we need.

Accept, adjust, advance.

#StaySafe!

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Belinda Myers, RN, BSN – Jefferson Health, Cherry Hill, NJ
In early March of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a message was sent out to all the nursing staff asking if anyone would be willing to help out in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) due to the surge of critically ill patients. The surge of patients and the need for increased support on the unit was truly a tragedy that was hitting hospitals across the nation, with the New York and New Jersey areas suffering the worst. At a time when most people were learning to wear personal protective equipment and being urged to stay inside and reduce unnecessary exposure, the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff were ramping up and working harder to meet the increasing need for the critical care of those infected.

The rate of infection was so high, that hospitals were having difficulty keeping up with the need. As a nurse of 20+ years, I knew in my heart that I could not ignore this call for help and I willingly stepped up and volunteered. My nursing career has primarily been in behavioral health, but I was willing to step out of my comfort zone to assist whenever and wherever I could. In anticipation of increased infections, the hospital was preparing and pulling staff from all areas of nursing to support the ICU.

On my first day pulled to the unit, I was greeted by the Acting Manager and the Charge Nurse. Not only did they make me feel welcome, but they also made sure that I had an N-95 mask and a face shield, and that I understood how to wear and safely remove my gown. It was obvious from the start that they worked together as a team and that their safety and mine was the priority. I wanted to help in any way I could, so I jumped right in to assist with routinely cleaning, organizing, and backfilling supplies. I watched and listened to each nurse give a report and the more I watched, the more I learned and recognized the doctors, nurses, and techs as dedicated, courageous, and strong professionals—true frontline heroes. They faced numerous challenges and they had to be creative with the deployment of the IV pumps, the ventilator alarms, and the numerous connections, recognizing that this equipment had to remain outside the room to reduce contamination and allow for easy monitoring. The IV pumps, ventilator alarms, and vital signs of each of the patients required constant attention. Alarms would sound and every nurse would quickly respond and assist as a team. At first, my contributions included assisting with ADL (activities of daily living) care, running to and from the lab and pharmacy, suctioning, finger-sticks, and IV medicines.

Before we could enter the room of a COVID patient, we would have to have our gowns, gloves, N95 masks with surgical masks as a covering, and face shields on, as well as any supplies we needed. Having to utilize PPE was a little concerning, even unnerving, due to the fear of making a mistake that could lead to your own infection and potentially serious illness. Early on, there was a belief that proning patients would assist in their recovery.

Two nurse educators led a team that managed the process of proning patients. As part of the team, we would place patients on their stomach for so many hours a day and then return them to their backs. For this to work, you had to have an entire team, including respiratory, to move and monitor the patient. I was fortunate to have been part of this team. They taught me how to place electrodes on a patient to monitor vitals and how to safely disconnect IVs and turn patients toward the ventilator.

The nurses and doctors would have rounds for each patient, each day. Pharmacists would have to evaluate the medications each day and make suggestions for the best treatment. The team worked endlessly from the moment they arrived on the unit until they clocked out. There were days when we knew we were losing a patient and the nurses would be right there, by their side, to comfort them and be with them. With the exposure concerns, family members were not permitted to visit, so the nurses would bring in their Rovers and FaceTime or call their loved ones to give them a chance to talk. The nurses went out of their way to comfort patients and try to keep them connected to their families. I know this gesture meant a great deal to the patients and their families.

The Security team members were also unsung heroes during this time because they had to be contacted to support the transport of deceased COVID patients to the morgue and, when the morgue was full, to the area designated. This required them to be gowned, masked, and gloved to ensure their safety, and I am certain the frequency of this task had to take a toll on them. Housekeeping, in gowns, masks, and gloves, would then have to sanitize the room in preparation for the next patient suffering from COVID.

The administration staff would also make rounds on the unit to thank the staff for everything we were doing and to let us know they were there to support us in any way. They did their best to ensure we had the PPE, guidance, supplies, and support we needed to keep going each day. The doctors and the acting manager would also show their support by ordering lunch for the unit, and there were many days when family members and loved ones of the COVID patients would donate food to the staff as a show of their support.

The only thing more compelling than the selflessness, drive, and dedication of the staff to be there for our patients and each other was the level of recognition and support we received from everyone—the hospital, the community, the media, and the public. The entire Jefferson hospital staff worked as a team, truly came together to answer this call for help, and did so in the face of great uncertainty, some fear, and unprecedented devastation—COVID-19. I am proud to be part of this team, who were on the frontlines of this battle and earned the title of “Frontline Heroes.”

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Michelle Canonica, RN, CMSRN, OCN, Clinical Coordinator, MS2 – Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
This memory is burnt into my mind and feels like it happened just yesterday, even though it has been several months already. I remember coming into work one morning in mid-March. I looked at the board and our census was so low that the nurses had three to four patients apiece and I was a free charge. I had to look twice because I couldn’t believe it after being used to being so busy for months prior. There was news of a novel coronavirus outbreak that was finally setting in as being something serious to worry about. We were watching Italy and New York on the news in the days prior and fearing our own futures. To add insult to injury, we learned that there was a national shortage of PPE. I remember sitting at the nurses’ station talking to my coworkers and everyone was saying how they hoped we wouldn’t get any COVID patients on our floor. I remember talking about how we would keep ourselves safe by taking extra vitamins or wearing caps on our hair since we would not be using the full hazmat-like suits we saw healthcare workers wearing everywhere else in the world.

We went all day without having a patient admitted and our Nurse Manager and Educator said goodbye for the day and said to call if we needed anything. Then, as Murphy’s Law would have it, an admission dropped into our queue and it was a PUI (person under investigation). Our hearts sank as we all looked at the screen. The silence on the floor was deafening for that moment. I looked around and saw all of my junior coworkers with fear in their eyes. I knew they were all scared to death about this virus because of our conversations earlier that day. We were lucky though because behind the scenes our leadership team had been working together to create kits that had everything we needed to set up a COVID room. I called my Nurse Manager and Educator to let them know we were getting a PUI and, to my surprise, both of them turned around and came back to the hospital to help us set up the room and prepare for this patient to come to our unit.

Now came the time to assign the patient. After hearing everyone else’s fears all day, I couldn’t lose it now and I couldn’t give this patient to another nurse who already had an assignment. I felt a call to duty and I had the support behind me so I could feel confident that I was protected. The Nurse Manager, Educator and Corporate Director came to help me don my PPE. They went over the use of the iPad and we worked together to take care of this patient who needed our help. As the days followed, we saw more and more patients come to the floor. Before we knew it, we were the official COVID unit for the hospital. We ran like a well-oiled machine after that day and provided the care that so many needed. If it wasn’t for the leadership and education we had behind us, I don’t know if we would have been as prepared as we were for this crisis. I felt able to “take one for the team,” because of the leadership and education provided that day. We were on the frontlines of this battle, but if not for the support of all the people behind us, we never would have been able to accomplish what we did.
Nicole Ervin, RN, MSN, CMSRN, Nurse Manager – Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
Michelle was so calm and confident as we suited her up to go into the room. She was behind a large fire panel door with no windows, all alone. Feeling helpless, we stood outside the door for what seemed like an eternity. I felt like I had sent my firstborn off to war.

She not only showed courage and leadership that day, but it was a profound moment for every novice nurse who was on the floor that day. Fast-forward several days later, we would be a full COVID medical-surgical floor for several months. During this time, just nursing was permitted into the rooms, and the ancillary staff such as patient care techs would station themselves outside the rooms ready to pass in supplies to the nurses or whatever was needed. The unit secretaries would assist and man the call bell system, asking the patients what they would need when the nurses would come into the room to cluster care. The unit educator was the safety officer assisting staff to don and doff PPE properly and educate on the new medications that were given to COVID patients.

As a unit manager, my role had changed. I was to take care of my staff. I oversaw obtaining PPE supplies and other items such as headbands with buttons to take the mask strings pressure off the staff ears. I was in charge of checking on everyone’s mental and physical health. Making sure they got adequate breaks and a safe place to take off their masks and eat. The unit turned into more like a home. A dressing area to take off your hospital clothes before you left, we planted floors on our patio and furniture for staff to eat out there, and even a lounge area that served as a respite room for staff. Our team got through it and it made us even closer.

As a nurse manager, I felt like George Washington in that iconic scene, leading his team into battle across the Delaware. What a time to be a nurse!

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Josie Adkins, RN, Cardiac Intermediate Unit at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center
Josie was caring for a patient who was having trouble coping with the no-visitor policy. The patient’s room had a view of the parking garage roof, so Josie worked with the patient’s son and developed a plan to surprise the patient with “visitors” he could see outside his window.

On a Sunday afternoon at the agreed-upon time, Josie had the patient look out his window. He was surprised by family and friends who brought signs with special messages and greetings.

Administrative nurse manager Bethany Kravitz, BSN, RN, Grant, talked with the patient after. He was moved to tears telling the story about how surprised and grateful he was for the team’s thoughtfulness.

 
Josie Adkins’ Perspective
I had the pleasure of caring for a patient during the start of COVID. With the visitor restrictions in place, my patient was feeling a little down because he was such a people person and extremely close with friends and church family.

As his son was leaving for the day, he mentioned bringing family and friends to the parking garage so the patient could at least see the support system he had. I told the son let’s keep it a surprise and to call the unit when they were ready. I informed my clinical lead Katie about the plan. When the whole crew arrived, Katie called to tell me everything was ready. I made a little makeshift sign so the family and friends could see/communicate with the patient. It couldn’t have been a more perfect moment. A helicopter was circling waiting to land. I asked the patient if they wanted to see the helicopter because it’s not something you get to see every day and usually everyone is fascinated by a helicopter. The patient did not even notice the top of the parking garage because he was too focused on the helicopter. When everyone was in place, I pointed and said something along the lines of, “Do you know those people?” I put the makeshift sign in the patient’s window so the family could quickly identify the patient’s room.

With the patient’s permission, Katie was able to take pictures and capture the memories. The patient was forever thankful and so touched.

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Kari-Lynn Malec, RN, Interventional Radiology at Henry Ford Hospital
What is your warm blanket? A nurse collecting unemployment during a COVID crisis, a global healthcare pandemic? Who thought this could happen? An RN was redeployed from a navigator position to ED to home care and eventually to taking a personal leave and then a furlough. Wow! How did this happen? How come I couldn’t go? Every day upon arrival at work I asked to be redeployed. I was not sent. Thirty-one years of experience, a graduate degree, a national certification and a plethora of experience. Wanting to support the true hero—the nurse at the COVID patient’s bedside. The hero nurse—I sure didn’t feel like a hero. The media told me I was one. My neighbors dropped off gifts, leaving them on the front porch. They were supporting the hero. I was not. I was sitting home guilt-ridden because I was not at the bedside.

The development of a basic concept of nursing emerged. I could not find my warm blanket to hand out or a pillow to fluff. Reflecting on my position and wondering what the warm blanket I was providing was, as I was not supporting my colleagues, nor did I feel I was contributing like a hero. I was looking inward when I needed to be looking at finding a place back at the bedside where I could put a warm blanket on someone. I sunk to a dark place with no self-worth and felt for the first time in my career no one wanted me. I didn’t feel like a hero. I didn’t feel like a real nurse.

My colleagues were struggling around the country as I sat and did my office job. I didn’t know where my warm blanket was. Often, my thoughts would drift to bedside patient care. How could I change jobs in the midst of a crisis when nurses were furloughed? Knowing the crisis could come back in the fall and winter and being in the same position again but wondering whether I would be paid this time. It all came down to the general concept of the warm blanket. Maybe I couldn’t support my colleagues, but maybe I could go somewhere where I could be with the patient. I needed to change my focus on how or when to apply the blanket. I needed to suppress the guilt or release it. I always wanted to teach a class on giving love—fluffing a pillow, putting a warm blanket on a patient and tucking them in—not innate in some people.

People learning with the overwhelming nature of academia have a difficult time applying concepts and “giving love.” It is significant to look in a patient’s eyes and share the love. Supporting, guiding—and the true nature of our calling to nursing. The education to support the practice, and the love to help guide the patient through their journey. As an ED nurse for many years, recognizing that an injured toe or a GSW is still a journey for that patient. And everyone can close their eyes and feel the nurse through the application of a warm blanket. My thoughts continuously flowed to the bedside. Holding a hand, fluffing a pillow. Helping guide a patient through their journey while I am at the bedside. This is my true calling. This is where I belong and where I can support my colleagues. I don’t need to be a hero. I just need to hold the warm blanket for when it is ready to be applied.

What is your warm blanket?

 
Now it’s your turn! Click here to submit your COVID story! 

Sophie Whitlock, Hospice and Palliative Care nurse at Bristol Home Care and Hospice, a part of Bristol Health
Sophie experienced firsthand the impact of COVID on our staff and patients. As an active member of the Bristol Health palliative care team, Sophie spent many long hours gowned and masked, meeting with patients and communicating with the families struggling with this pandemic. It took a toll on Sophie and the team as the numbers increased and there seemed to be no end in sight. Sophie is a poet and so she shared this poem with our Bristol Health team and brought many to tears.

Gowned and gloved, face shield in place

Only our eyes to represent our face

Dressed for an enemy we cannot see

We are nurses and we still will be

Your advocate and caregiver through the darkest of days

As the storm unfolds, we will help guide the way

We won’t turn away when you cry

We will be there with you to wipe your eyes

Even though the days are long

Don’t be afraid, we are Nurse Strong

—Sophie Whitlock, BSN, RN, CHPN (2020)

 
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Elden Cox, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN – TNCC Unit Supervisor at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
What’s so weird for me being a Trauma Nurse is that I’ve seen everything. I can be neck-deep in blood working a trauma with our team and walk out to the next room and eat a full meal.

This is so different. I don’t know why. When I was giving a report to the day nurse and was instructing her on what to do (her first day at work since the apocalypse), she said, “Oh, no. That’s not how I nurse. I can’t do that. I’ve got to turn my patients every two hours, hold their hand and give them water.” I feel like what a soldier must feel like on the battlefield. Dodging “the virus.” Wondering if it’s creeping in somewhere through my PPE while touching the patient. When we go into a room the rule is to get in and out as fast as possible and go in very minimally. You have a buddy watching to see if you need anything handed to you through a crack in the door while you’re in there. Your buddy watches but then he may have to run check on a drip. You look out and bang on the window to get anyone’s attention. You very quickly open and close the door. We constantly watch each other to make sure under all the stress that no one breaks isolation protocol. We yell at each other across the unit if anything deviates from the norm. We’ve got each other’s backs—more than ever. When you go in, it feels like when you’re snorkeling, and you hold your breath to dive deep down to get a glimpse of the coral on the bottom. You try not to breathe too deep in fear of sucking in the virus through an unknown crack.

We’ve become engineers, fixing and creating new ways to get the job done, with safety being #1. Our IV pumps are now on the outside, so we don’t have to make unnecessary trips in to hang fluids, vasopressors and sedation. I saw nurses high-fiving last night because one of them came up with a brilliant idea by brainstorming.

At any one time, you may look across the unit and see the sudden motion of the team donning PPE to rush in to intubate. The unit is in constant motion. These patients crash faster than any I’ve ever seen. Ever. Our unit looks so different. So much equipment everywhere because we took our only two storage rooms for two more beds. We’ve sent equipment to other areas to share and we’ve literally built ICUs overnight out of scrap.

We got word last night that we had a patient coming from a unit down the hall. This is a unit where the more stable ones are. Our unit is the highest level of care and the most critical so when they tank, they come to us. I can’t get the image out of my mind seeing them rushing this woman in to be intubated. I was running across the unit as they wheeled her by me and I caught eyes with her while trying to concentrate on what I was doing and it was as if I was in a slow-motion movie watching the fear in her eyes. My eyes followed her. She was sitting high in the bed breathing rapidly and was FaceTiming her family because they cannot step foot in the hospital. This is horrific for my hospital because this isn’t what we do. We cater to the patient and their family, or at least try to. I watch these patients’ expressions and it must feel like they are being wheeled into a gas chamber, not knowing what’s next. The staff is running around, faceless. They see the constant rush as they pass by all of the equipment, which to them looks like the inside of a spaceship or a science-fiction movie set. The horror is unsettling. We can’t stay and hold their hand or wipe their forehead. We have to get them intubated, get a central line in, an arterial line in and a catheter in and get out, only to look at them through the window. I’m not used to not having 20 people around the patient working on them. Our amazing Trauma Team. Now it’s only one MD, one nurse and one respiratory therapist in the room at a time, or we try to keep it to two. This woman’s nurse told me she was giving as much comfort as she could in that short time while she was FaceTiming her family. I can’t imagine how that family felt. This is so barbaric but necessary for everyone’s safety in this time of disaster.

I can’t imagine how it feels when that phone goes blank on the family’s end. I can’t imagine how the patient feels when they say goodbye before being sedated and intubated not knowing if they will ever wake up. No matter how strong you are, it’s frightening. Very few of our patients are conscious, but the few that are, they helplessly look at you through the window when you walk by. In all this, which is now the “national or world norm,” and because we are operating in “disaster mode,” rest assured that this phenomenal team keeps your loved ones updated on the phone. The doctors and nurses make regular calls to keep your families updated in the most compassionate way possible.

Lastly, I’m so proud of my hospital and team. No hospital can be prepared for a catastrophe this large, but we were. I’ve never seen such precise execution of a disaster plan. Equipment and supplies appeared out of nowhere. I’ve never seen so many disciplines work so hard together in my life—the pharmacy, the lab, nursing, biomed, maintenance and housekeeping! Everyone has pulled together to pull this off and it’s amazing to see every department work so hard and be so kind and cooperative together. Emotions have run high, but everyone has been amazing and kind. Administration has held constant briefings around the clock to keep us informed. Our new Nurse Manager has been handed something many couldn’t handle, but she has been amazing, even though I’ve seen her cry a few times—but that just shows she is human. She has been such a pillar for us to lean on. I feel very safe. Our hospital stresses both patient and staff safety year-round. Throughout this disaster, they have catered to us. It has been amazing. I feel we have sufficient PPE at the moment. We are a very large hospital and normally stock large quantities of PPE, but come on, people, how can you expect a hospital that may normally have 20 or maybe even 50 isolation patients to be prepared for something of this magnitude? We can’t stock warehouses of PPE for hundreds of people. I can’t blame any hospital for this. One thing I can say is the staff has been amazing at conserving our PPE and other supplies. Everything we pull out of a kit, someone says something like, “Save those extra parts—we can make masks out of that if we have to!” I’ve seen nurses saving things we normally throw away.

I wish everyone could see what is going on behind the scenes. It’s nothing short of a miracle at my hospital. Our ICUs now look like an army battlefield ready for what comes our way.

I know this is so stressful, but we have to make the best of a catastrophic situation.

Rest assured, if you come our way you will be very well taken care of, both physically and emotionally. I’m so proud of everyone and the quick response with the swift adaptation to changing needs in this very trying time.

Stay safe and stay away!

 
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