Episode 7: Boots on the Ground_Critical Care During COVID

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the year 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. During this time, the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became a global event for which nurses had limited time to prepare before receiving an influx of high-acuity patients experiencing respiratory instability and other co-morbidities. Nurses, both novice and expert, truly displayed their power to advocate for their patients and demonstrated their profound sense of teamwork. It is fortunate that nurses, such as our guest Kim Scherr, is willing to share their individual reality of COVID-19 in a critical care setting.

More about Kim Scherr, NP, Critical Care and Rapid Response Team Member

“I have worked in critical care for most of my career, and have been a nurse practitioner for the past 24 years. My areas of interest have been critical care/rapid response teams, cardiovascular nursing and advanced practice nursing, and I have presented in those fields at many conferences and published several papers as well. I have worked in the Misericordia Hospital ICU for the past 12 years where I contribute to a collaborative interdisciplinary team providing care for critically ill patients. I am the Team Lead for the institutional Rapid Response Team. This team responds to calls from unit staff with the intent to initiate early interventions that prevent further illness and deterioration which could ultimately lead to cardiorespiratory collapse and the need for ICU admission. I am also a champion for the prevention and treatment of ICU delirium, and have been a member of national and provincial collaboratives whose goals are to improve long term cognitive outcomes for ICU patients. Currently I am working in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Papathanassglou from the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta to conduct research on the use of integrative therapies (music, therapeutic touch, guided imagery, massage) in the prevention of ICU delirium.”  ~ Kim Scherr

Be proud to be a HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL.