Elizabeth Gibson-Palmer
February 2022
Elizabeth
Palmer
,
RN
Riverside Regional Medical Center
Newport News
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

This is where Elizabeth donned her nursing "angel wings" and sprang into action.
I want to recognize Elizabeth for the exemplary care she gave to a 5-year-old boy that was brought in by his mother. He was COVID positive and Elizabeth became concerned when he began vomiting and was so weak he could not stand. He was hypothermic with an elevated respiratory rate and tachycardic. He was made a vertical patient and remained in the lobby for almost 4 hours. His blood sugar was over 500, a provider urgently called a critical alert and he was carried to an ED bed. This is where Elizabeth donned her nursing "angel wings" and sprang into action. The patient looked so ill that they felt he could "code" at any moment. At the bedside, Elizabeth had not waited for MD orders, she was calming the mother and starting the IV line, and getting the blood drawn. After starting fluids she didn't wait for the pharmacy to get to the order for the insulin, she called and expedited the order and continued to stay at the bedside to do everything she could to care for the patient. The mother was unaware of the symptoms of diabetes and Elizabeth calmed the mother and explained everything to her. By the time CHKD transport team arrived the patient no longer was agitate and was calmly resting with decreased respiratory rate, and more color to his face. She is very deserving of this award and truly saved a life that day! She treated the mother and the patient as if they were her family members. Through her skill in organization and knowing the limitations of our ancillary service, she coordinated care with an end goal of patient survival and allowed the mother to relax and trust the care he was being given.