Amy was the charge nurse this day on the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

I was assisting with a burn dressing change on a patient who had been transferred to our unit, a pediatric medical/surgical unit, the previous day. This was the first burn dressing change the patient had received off the PICU, where the patient had been admitted for an extended period of time.

The dressing change started with the patient helping remove the previous dressings, and then it stalled due to reported pain and severe anxiety. The patient had received all of the medicine available at the moment for the dressing change, but was still in agony. The team of doctors responsible for the patient was treating a multiple trauma in the emergency department, unable to come to provide assistance.

I was the charge nurse of the current unit and called Amy to see if there was anything she knew that might help. Amy came to our unit and calmly talked the patient down with anxiety and pain reducing techniques the patient had been using during dressing changes in the PICU, that the current nurses were not aware of.

Amy stayed to assist with the dressing change until the Pediatric surgery resident was able to come to the bedside. Then Amy collaborated with the senior resident to determine which additional medicines would be necessary to continue and finish the dressing change.

Amy gave the example of the calming tools the patient had been taught to help endure the dressing change for the current nurses. Amy was prepared to return and assist with the completion of the dressing change after the administration of the additional medications.

Amy took the time to help other nurses on another unit and demonstrated critical empathy and teamwork.