Autumn has shown exemplary compassion and dedication in her nursing role. Autumn's passion goes well beyond just her duties here at Renown. Exhausted after working a 13-hour shift one day, Autumn was well on her way home. Driving and almost home, Autumn noticed a woman with a younger girl running barefoot down the street in obvious distress. She took a risk, pulled her car over, and inquired if help was needed. She quickly learned that it was a very frantic mother and her middle aged child seeking immediate help. The mother informed Autumn that she had another child, a three-year-old daughter, that she had found unresponsive and not breathing in her bed.
Autumn rushed into the woman's house to help the child. She too found the little girl unresponsive and not breathing. Autumn began CPR and worked tirelessly on the child until 911 arrived. Unfortunately, the child did not survive, but Autumn attempted all interventions to revive her. The time of when and how long the child had arrested was not known. Autumn stayed with the mother and supported her and the family until she felt like she should leave. After this tragic and traumatic event, Autumn called into our unit and informed me of what had happened. She was afraid due to her current state that she would not be able to go to sleep and work her night shift. She immediately asked me, and was very worried that her call in would affect the staffing for the night. She did not want to put the unit, our patients, and our staff members in an unsafe position.
Autumn is an outstanding nurse. She not only puts the needs of her patients and team first, but also the need of our community first. People like her are rare; she is compassionate, reliable, and the reason we should be proud to live and work in our community. Thank you, Autumn, for being an outstanding nurse.
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Autumn is a newer nurse. In the time that I have worked with her, I have been very impressed with all of the decisions that she has been able to make, the patient load that she has been able to handle and the difference that she has made on the night shift for our floor. Autumn has taken nursing with a new light and has really grown into an amazing nurse during the short time that she has been a new RN. Even during orientation Autumn would ask amazing questions and really think outside of the box when it came to taking care of the patient as a whole and not just the diagnosis.
Autumn has had one situation where a patient was declining quickly and without her quick thinking the patient may not have had the outcome that they did. Autumn called another nurse into the room, but after that a rapid was called and Autumn went to work. Without being told she stat paged the physician, got orders to get fluids going, and advocated for this patient to go to the ICU. Autumn delegated what she needed to and people jumped in and helped. When I arrived to the room Autumn was hanging a bag of fluids and running around to get more supplies. Myself, one other RN, and Autumn got the patient off to the ICU with the ICU team, and helped to get the patient to where she needed to be. This all happened on Autumn's first night on her own off of orientation. With her quick reflexes and thinking, this patient survived what could have been a tragic situation.
Autumn does not stop this caring, compassion, and critical thinking when not at work.
Recently, Autumn was on her way home from work when she noticed that a mother and her child were running down the street barefoot. She stopped to ask if there was anything that she could do to help when the mother notified her that there was something wrong with her younger daughter and the they needed help. Autumn went back to house with them to find the father on the phone with the paramedics and the 3-year-old daughter unresponsive and pulseless. Autumn then started compressions on this little girl and performed CPR until the paramedics arrived.
When the paramedics arrived Autumn did not leave the scene. She stayed and consoled the family during the tragedy that was unfolding in front of them. Autumn held their hands and helped to calm their anxiety. Unfortunately, while the outcome was not good, Autumn went above and beyond for this family. She stayed with them until they stated they were okay for her to leave. Autumn still thought about her team at this time. Calling to ask if the staffing would be appropriate if she were to call in that night.
A few days after this incident Autumn received a phone call from the sheriff that the family would like to invite Autumn to the funeral of the little girl that she so diligently tried to save. Autumn was more than happy to oblige to this and woke up early on a day that she was going to work night shift and attended the funeral. The family then picked her out of the crowd to hug her and thank her for all that she had done for them.
This is not something that happened in the hospital, but I know that Autumn has made quite the impression on myself and others in the short time that she has been here. Autumn exemplifies all that Renown stands for. She also is a standard for how not only nurses should act, but how people in general should act. The selflessness of her actions made a huge difference in the life of a family and she is making a difference in the lives of the patients that she is caring for up here on tele 8. I am excited to see where Autumn goes in her career and the difference that she continues to make in this hospital and in this community.
I am proud to say that I work with Autumn and am lucky to call her a friend and colleague.