Vickie Phenix’s patient in the progressive care unit (PCU) begged her to help wean his oxygen. Phenix was skeptical at first, because his oxygen saturation was low. But she promised him that they would work together, along with the respiratory therapist, to see what they could do. By the end of Phenix’s 12-hour shift, the patient’s oxygen was lowered from 15 liters to 10.
“Five liters of oxygen might not seem like that big of a deal, but to this patient, who had spent several days on high-flow nasal oxygen struggling for every breath and worried that he would not survive, it was a very big deal,” said Phenix, B.S.N., R.N. “He thanked me with tears pouring down his face, and I was grateful for the tiny part I played in caring for him.”
Phenix is part of a team of nurses in the PCU and intensive care unit (ICU) at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance who have worked tirelessly to care for patients and each other. They have always had a bond, and COVID-19 intensified that bond.
“We have an amazing team of nurses, and the pandemic has shined a spotlight on their compassion for patients, families and each other,” said Lynette Campbell, M.S.N., R.N., CCRN, manager of ICU/PCU.
Describing the team he works with as “phenomenal,” Brandon Shobe says the support on the units is seamless.
“We are constantly asking how each other is doing,” said Shobe, AGNP-C, M.S.N., B.S.N., R.N., ICU. “If one nurse is struggling, the unit will help so the environment is less stressful, and patient care does not suffer.”
Care on the 12-bed ICU and 12-bed PCU has been truly intense.
“COVID patients on ventilators are the sickest patients I’ve ever taken care of,” said Laura Reed, R.N., ICU, who has been a nurse for 15 years. “It takes constant monitoring and adjusting the plan of care to try to keep patients stable.”
The work is not only mentally and physically intense, it is also emotionally heartbreaking.
“Over the last 10 months, I have held the hand of a dying patient with one hand while holding a phone in the other hand for family members to say good-bye. I’ve cried with countless family members over the phone while giving updates about a loved one they long to be with but can’t,” Phenix said. “I’ve watched patients who were steadily improving end up intubated and dying, and I’ve driven home in tears trying to make sense of it all. You can’t go to work and watch patients die almost every shift and walk away unchanged.”
In the midst of the intense work, the nurses have been able to rely on their clinical skills and each other to make it through each day.
“We have had some really tough moments,” Campbell said. “But because of our relationships with each other, we have come together, talked and shared our feelings, and moved forward.”
(Pictured:Members of the ICU/PCU team at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance include Carrie Clayton, B.S.N., R.N.; Laura Reed, R.N.; Lynette Campbell, M.S.N., R.N., CCRN; and Kim Downs, B.S.N., R.N.)
By Laura Johnson • Posted February 3, 2021