Micah Smith
February 2020
Micah
Smith
,
RN
TCV ICU
University of Virginia Health
Charlottesville
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

My husband had a saddle pulmonary embolism. He was coded several times at our hospital and then flown to UVA. He was placed on ECMO for 5 days. He is an ER/Urgent Care doctor and I am an ObGyn. We have observed a lot of hospitals and units. Needless to say, we were terrified.
My husband's second day here, Micah arrived and cared for him for the next 3 days. His clinical skills were extraordinary. I learned to recognize the close sweep of his evaluation every time he came in. My husband had to roll to his right side for procedures (which was a thing given the ECMO cannulas) and Micah would gently slide his hand under his cheek to protect it from the bed rail. When they were setting up for the decanulization, he double-checked every line several times, absolutely clear on all. More than that he is kind, empathetic, smart, and funny.
Micah made me feel safe in a very unsafe time. I believe that this care for both me and my husband embodies the best in nursing care. The root word for nurse is "nutrire", to nourish. He helped keep us going in the darkest days with his kindness and professionalism. He is exactly the one anyone would desire in a crisis.