“My Name is Ruth Levy and I am an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) in the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit (ICU). As a member of the interdisciplinary health care team my primary responsibilities include assessing and managing acutely ill patients in the Neuro-ICU and facilitating and improving communication within the team as well as with patients and their family. My objective is to enhance patient care while decreasing length of stay, improve patient/family satisfaction and ultimately provide individualized quality care. 

 

In any ICU this daily mission can be daunting, but it is attainable with a health care team that is dedicated, knowledgeable, supportive and most importantly compassionate. The core philosophy of my practice is to provide individualized quality care that is compassionate. But what inspires me to work in such a challenging environment are the incomparable stories, hopes and dreams of my patients and their family.

 

I would like to share a recent experience: One morning at the end of a very hectic work week, as I was walking towards the Neuro-ICU my stress levels were high and my face drawn in anticipation of the day ahead of me. As I mindfully started to sort and prioritize my day, the double doors opened to the unit and I remembered saying to myself “Here we go!”…Patients to examine; procedures to perform; staff members waiting to discuss the plan of care; orders to be entered; consults to be called; family members to meet and update were just a few things I was expected to triage in that first few minutes of my work day. As I barely made polite salutations to the Neuro-ICU staff, my mind was multi-tasking, then suddenly a gentle tap on my shoulder…and before I could say “one minute”, my tense face softened to a smile. It was a patient’s husband thanking me for taking the time to discuss his wife’s condition and plan of care. His wife had just had a seizure and re-bled overnight after a craniotomy was performed to re-sect a brain tumor. It was a highly tenuous situation and his wife’s’ condition was unstable. His love and devotion was inspiring. So I refocused to a more personal level and in doing so changed my day, and most importantly the day of my patients and their loved ones….

 

Honest interchanges, as I personally described, is the crux and the most important and meaningful part of my day. Living in the present moment, and simply listening to others thoughts and concerns then responding compassionately, honestly without judgment, is a virtue that should be applied in all aspects of life. The Dalai Lama once said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” In the ICU a compassionate approach to patient care enables me to personalize a highly technical environment.

 

An emotionally charged and hectic day can easily make you lose focus of what really matters in the business of caring for others. I was reminded that simple little things that occur naturally and don’t seem like much, such as human interactions, could truly make a difference in ones day. As a Nurse Practitioner, it is my interactions with YOU…the patient and the family that fuels my commitment and drive and it is your courage and unwavering strength that gives me hope and determination as I am continually challenged and dually inspired.”