Whitney McGimsey, ADN, was working in the ICU when she was assigned two patients, both with very different yet unique needs. She managed to address both creating an environment of patient and family care that stood out as exemplar.

One patient was suffering from complications of sepsis, verging on the need for mechanical ventilation to correct acidosis. Whitney was proactively calling physicians to alert them of the impending crisis which gave them time to treat aggressively without the need for more invasive therapy. She explained what was happening to the family and allowed them to stay in the room providing them with frequent updates and allowing them to contact other family members. One member was so anxious that he needed to frequently leave the room. She allowed him time to leave when he felt overwhelmed and let him return whenever he felt more calm, asking him often if he was doing ok.

Her other patient that day was actively dying and was a DNR. She allowed the family to stay at the bedside, getting them extra chairs and checking on them often to see if they needed anything in their time with a dying loved one. After the patient died, she allowed the family to stay as long as they felt they needed to. On their departure, she addressed each family member by name and told them to make sure and take care of themselves.