Erika Jorgensen
March 2025
Erika
Jorgensen
,
RN, BSN
Critical Care
Kootenai Health
Coeur D'Alene
,
ID
United States
She answered all of our questions with a high level of subject matter knowledge and caring professionalism, while demonstrating a true concern for my well-being by talking to me as a person, not just another patient.
I arrived at the Kootenai Health Emergency Room with burning upper back pains, which at the time I believed to be severe indigestion. After a very efficient and professional triage team determined my condition to be much more severe and urgent, I was being prepped before I could say, "What the heck just happened?" I was quickly diagnosed with a heart blockage, and a stent was inserted.
During the procedure, it was revealed that my condition would ultimately require a quadruple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting surgery. While the surgery itself was later described as well-tolerated, my immediate post-op recovery was anything but. Having never experienced such a medical issue, my anxiety was extremely high. I reportedly had to be physically restrained while trying to fight through the anesthesia in an attempt to remove the breathing tube. While I do not have any recollection of these events, and for all I know, this is a typical behavior, I do vividly recall being held by the hand by a nurse who reassured me that I was going to be ok.
While this may seem like a token gesture, the tone and manner in which she spoke to me gave immediate comfort in knowing that I was going to survive the event, and any feelings of fear or anxiety were gone. I later learned that the nurse was Erika Jorgensen. She and a team of professionals continued to care for me in the ICU during the immediate hours and days that followed. She answered all of our questions with a high level of subject matter knowledge and caring professionalism, while demonstrating a true concern for my well-being by talking to me as a person, not just another patient.
This was further illustrated when she took the time to visit me after I had transferred off of her floor to a lower level of care. Having been a police officer in a major city for many years, I have come to know and respect many in the emergency healthcare profession and have shared in the struggle and sacrifice of long hours, worked holidays, and in an often extremely stressful work environment, which can lead to apathy and a "just doing my job" attitude. Erika represents the best of the nursing profession and is a true asset to your hospital. I will be forever thankful for her.
During the procedure, it was revealed that my condition would ultimately require a quadruple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting surgery. While the surgery itself was later described as well-tolerated, my immediate post-op recovery was anything but. Having never experienced such a medical issue, my anxiety was extremely high. I reportedly had to be physically restrained while trying to fight through the anesthesia in an attempt to remove the breathing tube. While I do not have any recollection of these events, and for all I know, this is a typical behavior, I do vividly recall being held by the hand by a nurse who reassured me that I was going to be ok.
While this may seem like a token gesture, the tone and manner in which she spoke to me gave immediate comfort in knowing that I was going to survive the event, and any feelings of fear or anxiety were gone. I later learned that the nurse was Erika Jorgensen. She and a team of professionals continued to care for me in the ICU during the immediate hours and days that followed. She answered all of our questions with a high level of subject matter knowledge and caring professionalism, while demonstrating a true concern for my well-being by talking to me as a person, not just another patient.
This was further illustrated when she took the time to visit me after I had transferred off of her floor to a lower level of care. Having been a police officer in a major city for many years, I have come to know and respect many in the emergency healthcare profession and have shared in the struggle and sacrifice of long hours, worked holidays, and in an often extremely stressful work environment, which can lead to apathy and a "just doing my job" attitude. Erika represents the best of the nursing profession and is a true asset to your hospital. I will be forever thankful for her.