Lourdes Fukushima
May 2022
Lourdes
Fukushima
,
BSN, RN
RRUCLA
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Los Angeles
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

Had it not been for her diligence and dedication to this career and these children, that child would not have made it to the PICU alive.
Because she has been dedicated to this unit for over 30 years, her assessment of these children goes beyond first glance. She maintains the type of intuition a parent might have for their own child.

One day she was covering our 15-minute breakfast breaks. Lourdes gave her report and she went to go assess each child that she was watching for this short period of time. She walked into a patient’s room whom she had known his entire life to greet him and his Mom. Mom mentioned the patient was tired and he was sleeping. But with one glance from across the room, Lourdes looked at him sleeping and knew he looked different by the color of his lips. With no hesitation, she felt his cold skin, placed him on the cardiac monitor and pulse ox, and realized he had likely cardiac arrested and was not sleeping. We responded accordingly but had it not been for her diligence and dedication to this career and these children, that child would not have made it to the PICU alive.

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As a nurse your assessment is everything and I am constantly in awe of Lourdes and how her experience and love for this unit have been such a vital factor in creating strong nurses and contributing to the best possible patient outcomes. I admire her beyond words and hope I can continue to follow her example.

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During her 8-hour shift, she never stops. No task is ever too much for her to assist. She steps in and helps out regardless of who she is currently break-relieving. The nurses know they can count on her and so do the families. She is truly a DAISY, blossomed by all the sunshine she brings!

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Lourdes is one of our unit’s quality coaches but she is so much more than that! I can honestly say she is the backbone of the day shift. Thank you for all that you do Lulu!

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She has been an exemplary role model in my nursing career and has taught me how to show care, and compassion and go above and beyond for my patients and co-workers….Every Friday she gives out free snacks to boost morale, she makes us laugh and supports us all to do better. I can't describe just one situation because she has too many to count. She is such an asset to pediatrics and we are fortunate to have her.