Eisen Mendoza, registered nurse

In March 2023, Eisen Mendoza, a registered nurse, was in charge when several major incidents occurred on her internal medicine unit. During the evening shift a patient started a fire in her room. Once the team identified the patient was harmed, they called a rapid response while closing her door and calling code red. Then they determined other patients on the unit were at risk and the unit needed to be evacuated.

Eisen put her multi-tasking skills into action working with the fire department, calling the manager on call and the unit manager, other departments and updating the nursing staff, patients and their families. Her calm demeanor and professionalism were important in ensuring the safety of everyone on the unit. She identified which patients needed to be moved first and worked with bed management to determine where patients would go. She communicated openly and honestly with patients and their families to help alleviate their fears. She kept meticulous records of patient movements and the ongoing situation.

After the fire, Eisen struggled with what happened and questioned whether she could have done better. The entire team was struggling with what ifs. They all had many fears they had to process. The team came together to talk about the events, their stressors and the psychological impact of the event. They supported each other.