Updated on Sep 9, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Sandy Content, RN
Sandy Content, RN, has worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mount Sinai West for fifteen years, and, according to Nori Yaun, RN, manager, Patient Care Services, Sandy is an excellent practitioner who receives many compliments from parents and is well-respected by her team.
“She has a way of connecting with parents and making personalized approaches in building relationships with families,” Nori says. “She is courteous and maintains a calm and positive attitude in times of crisis and challenges. Sandy is also is an outstanding team member who nurtures and fosters growth of new staff members.”
Recently, parents of a baby born four weeks early and sent to the NICU wrote to the team in praise of Sandy. The parents explained that they felt so fortunate that Sandy was working the weekend their son arrived.
“It’s hard to put into words how much we appreciated Sandy’s empathy and professionalism and her level of excellence. We are first-time parents, and she took the time to answer every question we had while sharing her own experiences as a mother. We always felt that our son was in the best hands. He was cared for by the best of the best. Sandy is truly a gem.”
Sandy is more than qualified to provide support to parents whose babies spend time in the NICU. Her twins were born at just over 24 weeks and spent more than three months in intensive care. That experience was the impetus for her to move into a NICU position.
“This is why God brought my girls to me in this way,” she says, “because I had to be here. This is what I am supposed to be doing. I always say I have the greatest job in the world. I am the baby’s voice. And I put myself in the shoes of the parents. I try to explain the best I can what we are doing and why we are doing it. I love what I do, but I also love to see babies go home. To have had a hand in that, it makes me feel awesome.”
Aug 4, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Gaylenis Del Carmen Mendez Cabreja, BSN, RN
Gaylenis Del Carmen Mendez Cabreja, BSN, RN, more widely known as Carmen, was recently celebrated at a Mount Sinai Health System President’s Huddle. In the episode cited, Carmen was working her usual night shift at Mount Sinai Morningside, providing post-operative care to a bariatric patient.
The patient later wrote the following: “Carmen was without a doubt the most kind, patient, and empathetic nurse I have ever met. I was in an incredible amount of pain, utilized my call bell many times, and each time she was at my bedside in seconds, removing wires for my numerous bathroom breaks or just to provide calming words of encouragement. Additionally, I shared a room with a woman who had extensive injurie and was very angry and loud at times. All I heard was Carmen in calming tones de-escalating and advocating the patient’s wishes to other providers when they entered the room. I wanted to bring awareness to Carmen because often times, people aren’t praised for a job well done, and she was excellent.”
Susan Ignacio, RN, Manager, Patient Care Services at Mount Sinai Morningside, praises Carmen for her superb patient care.
“If you have met Carmen, you will know that she is soft-spoken and always attentive to her patients. She is the ‘Night-Shift Nightingale,’ carrying a lamp quietly checking that everyone is okay. We are proud to recognize Carmen for her compassion, empathy, and dedication to elevating the patient experience at Mount Sinai.”
Carmen clearly puts herself in her patient’s shoes. “I approach patient care with honesty, empathy, and patience. Honesty allows the patient to make more knowledgeable decisions about their care. Empathy helps patients feel more comfortable and trusting of you to provide care to them. And patience creates a warm and welcoming environment, where patients can process and heal what is a life-altering experience for them,” says Carmen, who has worked at Mount Sinai Morningside, 8E, since December 2021. “Nursing to me means being not only a caregiver, but a friend, to someone in medical need. It’s a blessing to be able to help people in their time of need.”
Updated on Jul 8, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Lorraine Fender, DNP, RN, left, Nurse Manager, and Anne Maguire, NP
Lorraine Fender, DNP, RN, Nurse Manager, and Anne Maguire, NP, of the Mount Sinai West Institute for Advanced Medicine, known as the Samuels Clinic, were recently recognized at the daily huddle of Mount Sinai Health System leaders. The reason: Ms. Maguire and Ms. Fender acted swiftly and decisively in leading a spur-of-the-moment team that helped save a patient’s life.
While in office hours, Ms. Maguire noticed a patient sitting in a chair with his head against the wall. When approached, the patient was pale and unresponsive, and Ms. Maguire immediately called for help. Ms. Fender responded to the call, and together with Jeffrey Fishberger, MD, the three lifted the patient from his chair and placed him on the floor. Ms. Maguire realized that the patient did not have a pulse and was not breathing.
After instructing Ms. Fender to begin CPR, Ms. Maguire called out for someone to call the Code Team, which specializes in emergency response, and practice manager Rachel Gonzalez did so immediately. Meanwhile, Mariko Yamasaki, RN, BSN, helped set up the automatic external defibrillator, and Michael Olivier-De La Torre, DNP, assisted with manual resuscitation while Ms. Fender performed compressions.
The team continued CPR until the Code Team arrived and took over. The patient was intubated, medicated, and defibrillated several times, but remained unresponsive. Ms. Fender and Ms. Maguire stayed with him as Ms. Fender continued compressions, and the decision was made to transport the patient to the ED to continue CPR.
The staff in the Samuels Practice later found out that the patient survived and was transferred to Mount Sinai Morningside. Upon discharge from the hospital, the patient returned to Samuels for an appointment with his primary care physician. He expressed his appreciation and thanked the staff for saving his life.
When Ms. Fender and Ms. Maguire were told they would be celebrated, they wanted to make sure that others were also recognized, including Dr. Fishberger, Mariko Yamasaki, Michael Olivier-De La Torre, Rachel Gonzalez, and the Mount Sinai West Code Team. By working collaboratively, they were able to save a patient’s life. They went on to say that a situation like this is one of the many reasons they come to work every day and try to make a difference in the lives of their patients. They thanked the Samuels Clinic faculty and staff for a job well done and the team’s remarkable collaboration.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Monica Pierre, RN
Monica Pierre, RN, Clinical Nurse Manager, Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health on Staten Island, loves to travel and has visited countries worldwide. Her international flights have been generally smooth, but on a recent trip to London for the wedding of her niece, her flight was anything but typical.
Monica was seated with a cousin and a new acquaintance who is her cousin’s friend, when after dinner she dozed off. She was awakened by an announcement from the cockpit, asking if there were any medical personnel on board. Monica alerted the flight attendant that she was a nurse and was escorted to the back of the plane. Her companions were no longer sitting next to her, and she assumed they had gone to the rest rooms. However, Monica was shocked to see her cousin’s friend lying on the floor, unresponsive to verbal commands. She quickly took control of the situation, along with a fellow passenger who was a medic.
Monitoring the medical status of her companion and keeping her semi-conscious was a challenge. The flight’s blood pressure cuff was not appropriate for her needs, and the pulse oximeter was missing batteries (thankfully, a passenger had two double A batteries to spare). Monica asked for oxygen, and luckily, that was readily available. Monica continued to monitor her companion’s vitals over the next three hours, making sure the woman did not aspirate her own vomit and changing her clothes to keep her dry and warm. Monica advised the flight crew, when asked, that diverting the flight was unnecessary, since they were halfway through the flight and all of the woman’s vital signs were normal. But her companion was mostly unresponsive and unable to be moved, so Monica did not leave her side.
As they approached Heathrow Airport, the attendants, Monica, and the medic struggled to put the woman in a seat, as that was required for landing. Monica stayed close by and gave a report to the medical team when they boarded. The woman was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she was able to be discharged after a day of observation and tests indicated she had an adverse reaction to beverages she had onboard the plane.
Although she never expected to be involved in a medical crisis aboard a flight on her way to celebrate such a happy occasion, Monica says she is aware of the importance of her medical skills and her mission as a nurse. “My first instinct, when I heard the request for medical assistance, was to offer my help. As nurses, we are always on duty. We serve the public. We take care of people. This is what we do.”
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Emilie Bautista, RN, left, and Luisa Angioletti, MA, MSNA, CRNA
Emilie Bautista, RN, in Perioperative Services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, has worked as an operating room nurse for more than 32 years. She loves the energy of the OR and knowing she is helping to improve the lives of patients undergoing surgery, but it is clear that the bond she creates with her patients is a tremendous draw. “Having surgery is a scary experience, especially for first-time patients,” she says, ”I try to calm them by doing a quick orientation to the OR, telling them it is normal to be afraid, and holding their hand until the anesthesia takes effect.”
Luisa Angioletti, MA, MSNA, CRNA is a nurse anesthetist and Emilie’s colleague. She recently nominated Emilie for a STAR recognition. “Emilie is a genuine proponent of patient safety and is committed to protecting her patients and her team. She anticipates whatever is needed in every case and is resourceful and creative in finding solutions if ever a problem arises—a demonstration of tremendous agility. Emilie is an outstanding asset. Cheers, Emilie!”
Dynese Sirjue, RN, MSN, CNOR, Manager, Patient Care Services, at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Emilie’s supervisor, sums up praise for Emily in a few words. “Emilie gives everything she has; she always goes above and beyond. She’s the best.”
May 20, 2022 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence
Mardisa Samson-Ramos, MSN, BSN, RN, right, with Frances Cartwright, PhD, RN-BC, AOCN, FAAN, Chief Nursing Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was created in 1999 to honor the compassionate care that nurses provide for patients and family members. DAISY Nurses are recognized for the acts of kindness and the sensitivity they demonstrate every day—the things that make a profound difference in a patient’s experience in health care. The DAISY Nurse Leader Award was created for a different purpose—to shine a light on the managers and others who do not typically have direct patient care as part of their work but are responsible for creating the environment where compassionate care by clinicians can thrive. The people who nominate them for the DAISY Nurse Leader Award are typically their staff, who describe the impact leaders have on their ability to provide high-quality, compassionate care.
Mardisa Samson-Ramos, MSN, BSN, RN, a nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) at The Mount Sinai Hospital, was awarded the hospital’s 2022 Daisy Nurse Leader Award. Mardisa came to Mount Sinai in 1986, working at the bedside for 27 years, moving on to become a nurse manager. In 2019, she assisted in the opening of the Liver Transplant Intensive Care Unit (TICU) and assumed the nurse leader role for both SICU and TICU.
The praise she has garnered from members of her staff demonstrates why she was a top contender for this recognition. Here are just a few of their comments:
“Mardisa’s dedicated, energetic, and familial spirit makes the Surgical ICU not just a workplace but a home for many of us that work with her. What makes Mardisa stand out to me is Mardisa’s immense humility, dedication, and love for the Surgical ICU. During my time in the SICU/TICU Mardisa has earned the respect of her colleagues, physicians, staff, patients and hospital leadership due to her enthusiasm for nursing excellence, knowledge advancement, and consideration towards everyone she encounters. Prior to the rollout of the Surgical ICU’s first tracheal transplant recipient, Mardisa, in coordination with our educator, made it a priority that the nurses felt adequately supported and trained. Mardisa wakes up prior to 5 am to spend an hour every morning sitting with every ICU patient and to bring staff breakfast that she has lovingly cooked.”
“Mardisa is available to her staff 24/7. She shows great concern for unit and staff safety and goes the extra mile to assure her unit is adequately staffed to minimize stress and optimize patient care. Nurses have felt at ease calling on her at all times of day and through the night as well. She is known to awaken at home and during the night to address any issue on the unit and discuss resolutions with the staff. Her huddles are well known for open communication and review of patient management and ICU protocol. She cares for the morale of her staff and frequently cooks and bakes for them. She is an exceptional professional intent on ensuring quality care and unit cohesiveness, totally dedicated to nursing her staff and units.”
Mardisa explains the meaning of Mount Sinai as a family:
“The teamwork, collaboration, respect, and caring for one another is always there, and has been reflected in our Silver Beacon award for Nursing Excellence in March of this year. We always provide the utmost support for each other inside and outside of the work environment. This is the legacy that has been passed on to me by my predecessors, which I aim to carry on. This is the place where you build lifetime memories and friendship.
“I am truly grateful and humbled to receive this award. I feel that my dedication and hard work to the Surgical ICU and Transplant has been blessed. It has always been my goal to create a positive work environment, where the team is happy and feels supported. Most importantly, I share my award with my SICU family, because if not for their continued support, I would not be the leader that I am now.”
