Angela Holke Gericke

Healthcare professional prepared to excel in face to face environments, leveraging comprehensive experience in patient assessment and care prioritization. Reliable team player focused on delivering optimal patient outcomes and adapting to dynamic healthcare settings. Key skills include critical decision-making and effective communication.

I had been with Pediatric Home Service 2.5 years, was caring for severely disabled children in their homes while their parents slept or worked or ran errands. I had just started working with a new client to complete the number of hours I needed. My patient had a tracheostomy, gastrostomy tube and was total care. His immune system was very compromised due to his disability. His mother told me he hadn't been sick for quite a while but he was getting congested. His mother stayed home that day from work and worked from home as she was concerned about his change in condition. His condition got worse with his temperature going up and lots of suctioning of his trach and mouth due to the mucous from his congestion. She called the doctor's office and made an appointment for that day. We got my patient in the van and got him to the doctor's office. I continued my assessments of my patient and suctioning of his trach and mouth. His mother was very nervous but I kept calm and helped her by just caring for her son and telling her how he was doing. We got to the doctor's office and in the appointment. The doctor assessed my patient and diagnosed him with bacterial upper respiratory infection. We got him ready to go home and get mim in bed so he could rest. 

The next day, the mom called my employer and told them I was very calm and handled the situation very well and helped my patient's mom be calm and not worry as much. My nurse manager nominated me for the award because of the mother's call.