During an intake visit on a regularly scheduled primary care visit, Ms. Debra Simpkins, “Deb,” was interviewing her patient, getting him ready to see the provider. The Veteran briefly mentioned that he had a mild episode of chest pain 4 to 5 days ago. The Veteran was nonchalant about it and did not think it was anything to worry about. Based on the Veteran’s explanation of the previous chest pain episode, Deb insisted that she do an EKG. Deb showed integrity by doing the EKG immediately. She used her excellent clinical skills and recognized a potential complication. After the EKG was performed, she recognized that the EKG was abnormal, and she immediately notified the provider. The Veteran had an abnormal EKG reading indicative of a heart attack.
It was determined that the Veteran needed Emergency Care and transportation to the local Emergency Room. Deb showed compassion and caring by staying with him explaining to him what was happening and why he needed immediate transport to the ER. Deb kept the Veteran calm and educated him on the issue at hand. She assisted the team in getting the Veteran ready to be sent out by ambulance. I feel Deb’s quick action and excellent clinical judgement saved this man’s life. She showed commitment to the Veteran’s well-being and was an advocate for his health. Her quick action shows leadership by initiating the EKG, overseeing the care of the Veteran, alerting other staff members to contact Emergency Medical Services, all while showing compassion to the Veteran during a stressful situation. We later found out that the Veteran was flown by Life Flight helicopter that day to a higher tertiary medical facility for treatment of a life-threatening cardiac event. I believe that Deb’s actions saved this man’s life and definitely fit the definition of the VA’s Values of ICARE, excellence in clinical expertise, leadership, and a wonderful role model as a nurse. Deb not only did an excellent job this day, but she also shows excellence in her performance every single day.