Starting on National Nurses Day and culminating on Florence Nightingale’s birthday every year, the American Nurses Association recognizes May 6-12 as National Nurses Week. This year’s theme, “Nurses Make a Difference,” offers a reminder of the substantial impact nurses make in the lives of those they help.

Across the organization, our nurses navigate unique challenges that require deep clinical expertise and dedication to ensuring exceptional care. At the same time, they work with exceptional compassion and empathy for the people and families they are helping. Meeting such high standards means that Paradigm nurses are among the most carefully selected and trained in the industry.

Together, these special characteristics enable our nurses to make life-changing differences every day—and we are grateful and thankful for their service everyday.

In honor of National Nurses Week, Paradigm is proud to share two of the many exceptional stories – where our nurses have gone above and beyond to achieve the best possible outcomes for the injured person.

Helping an injured courier avoid limb loss
When an 87-year-old courier developed a postoperative infection after falling on ice and suffering a fractured left ankle, he was at a high risk of limb loss and needed immediate follow-up treatment. The surgeon at the community hospital where he was first treated believed the severity of the injury and infection warranted advanced care at a more specialized facility.

Maggie, a Paradigm Nurse Case Manager, worked tirelessly to ensure this injured worker was successfully transferred to a hospital that could provide the limb-saving attention needed. This transfer of care first required negotiating with administrators at multiple facilities, overcoming insurance discrepancies, and identifying qualified limb salvage and wound care specialists.

Once the best facility was identified and confirmed, the injured patient was taken to the operating room within only hours for a procedure that included full irrigation and debridement, bone fragment removal, and placement of a spacer.

After a total of five surgical procedures and extensive antibiotic treatments, the patient was transferred to a rehabilitation facility. He is currently in weight-bearing therapy, with expected discharge in a few weeks.

Maggie was recently able to talk with this injured worker, who was deeply appreciative of her tenacity and grateful to connect with her over videoconference. He expressed his thankfulness for all that Maggie had done for him.

Thanks to Maggie’s clinical expertise and diligent efforts, this patient was able to avoid the loss of his limb and continues on the road to recovery.

A timely observation leads to prompt action
In her time as a Nurse Case Manager for Paradigm, Daedre has accepted an array of multiple complex injury cases requiring extensive care coordination, which have led to successful outcomes for many injured workers. In a recent case, Daedre was observing an injured worker, with pelvic, right tibia, and fibula fractures, during an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.

Daedre noticed a distinct left foot drop, a limp, and a lack of control of his left foot. The patient was also complaining of weakness and numbness in his left buttocks, which radiated to the back of his left thigh, and extended to the outside of his left foot.

Daedre pointed out the issues with the physician assistant (PA), who performed a strength test that showed severe weakness in his left leg and foot. Daedre discussed with the PA the need for electromyography and the possible need for a referral to undergo further evaluation.

The PA and physician both agreed with Daedre’s recommendations, and due to her strong rapport with providers in her area, she was able to get the injured worker scheduled for the test on the very same day. The MRI findings prompted the need for a neurosurgeon to determine if surgery would be necessary.

Daedre was able to obtain a response from two neurosurgeons in her area, quickly after working hours, who determined that the patient’s surgical screws needed to be removed immediately. Without the prompt intervention and support from Daedre, this situation could have potentially resulted in long-term complications, possibly even paralysis.

Recognizing Paradigm nurses
Thank you to both Maggie and Daedre for your dedication to injured workers and to our mission to help as many people as possible. We appreciate you and all Paradigm nurses – you are the heartbeat of our organization.

Join the celebration conversation and engage with our social media channels – like, comment, and share to show your appreciation.

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