HJNO Jul/Aug 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2020 41 Karen C. Lyon, PhD APRN, NEA Chief Executive Officer Louisiana State Board of Nursing IN RECOGNITION of this very special year, LSBN has collected individual stories about everyday nurse heroes. This month’s column will identify some of these very special nurses, and highlight the selfless and courageous care they have provided to the more than 38,000 Louisianans who have tested positive for COVID-19. Major Harold Mustin graduated from the Louisiana State University Health Sci- ences Center (LSUHSC) School of Nurs- ing – Nurse Anesthesia Program in 2004. He has 18 years of military service (Army), with several mobilizations and deploy¬- ments, including deployment in 2017 to Afghanistan as part of a Forward Surgi- cal Team in Operation Freedom Sentinel. Ma¬jor Mustin was recently called to duty at New York City Javit’s Medical Cen- ter for Operation Gotham, as part of the COVID-19 response. As a CRNA, he was overseeing two to three nurses caring for critically ill patients with COVID-19. In addi-tion, he managed ventilators and oxygen therapy, placed central lines and arterial lines, and supervised positioning patients in the prone position to improve ventilation. Major Charles “Chip” Peacock gradu- ated from the LSUHSC School of Nursing – Nurse Anesthesia Program in 2005, and he has 24 years of military service (Army). Major Peacock is currently deployed with UAMTF 01-05, better known as Task Force 5, at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York. He and his team arrived on April 8, and are expected to be there until June 6. Elmhurst Hospital is basically occupied 100 percent with COVID-19 patients in multiple intensive care units. Major Mustin and Major Peacock de- scribe themselves as Louisiana brothers in arms. They are bonded in their military service, their careers as Certified Regis- tered Nurse Anesthetists, the nursing pro- fession, and as dear friends. Otley Bethel, BSN, RN is a dedicat- ed professional at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, where he has practiced for more than 25 years. Several people refer to Otley as an unsung hero. He represents true leadership in nursing, and is sought after for his knowledge, skill, and depend- ability across the entire organization. Not only is Otley valuable to his colleagues, he is also valuable to the future of nursing. He has precepted and mentored countless nursing students and novice registered nurses who have gone on to excel and en- joy successful nursing careers of their own. When the World Health Organization first designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, none of us could have predicted the historic turn of events that this year would bring. Through sacrifice and hard work, nurses have been at the heart of fighting this glob- al pandemic since the outset. Words alone cannot express the appreciation that LSBN has for their spirit and dedication to caring for others when the world needs them the most. Chamberlain University at Ochsner Health System created a Wall of Gratitude as a virtual thank-you card to nurses so that the world could see just how these nurses and student nurses moved the world. LSUHSC SON responded in a variety of ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty worked very hard to ensure the school continued to provide quality education to students while also providing services to the community. On March 16, 2020, LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing removed all nursing students from clinical rotations. While alternative virtual clinical learning assignments were quickly initiated, the traditional BSN program and CARE program directors, Dr. Todd Tartavoulle and Dr. Stephanie Pierce, respectively, knew the students needed hands on clinical training to achieve clinical course outcomes. Both worked tirelessly to return the prelicensure students to clinical rotations in the hospital setting. Three weeks later, onApril 7, 2020, prelicensure students returned to the hospital to train in clinical settings. This immense task was achieved through the work of many, but Dr. Tartavoulle and Dr. Pierce led the way. n