Tufts MC True Blue Recipient: Suzanne Cook, RN, Intensive Care Nurse in our Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit (PICU)
Nomination from Clinical Nurse Director, PICU, Pediatric Nurse Float Pool, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Laura O’Garro, RN:
“Last fall, in the midst of hospital preparations for Ebola patients, we received a call late in the afternoon informing us there was an incoming patient at high risk for Ebola. Some staff had been trained, but many had not yet received training, and we were fin- tuning the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff to wear. Our leadership team discussed how we would determine which staff RN would care for the patient and set criteria.
“Suzanne was scheduled to work that evening. Upon her arrival, we briefed her on the plan. She had not yet received official training on how to put on and take off the PPE needed to care for this patient. Suzanne did not hesitate on what to do or if she should do it. After receiving some basic information and having her questions answered, Suzanne was on to her next task, which was training to properly get in and out of the PPE. She jumped right in to prepare herself and worked with the rest of the team in the Surgical ICU to welcome the patient. She cared for the patient for two nights.
“We all remember the media stories and the anxiety around Ebola, which included some of our staff who may have had close contact with patients possibly infected with the virus. To be able to set those anxieties aside and jump in because it’s the right thing to do, or because this patient and family deserved the best care possible, is why we all go into health care. We learned many lessons from this experience, but the most important one is the capacity for compassion and selflessness that Suzanne clearly demonstrated.”
