She always considers the safety of the patients first

Heidi Rinehart plays a vital role as a charge nurse. She always considers the safety of the patients first.

Recently, Heidi recognized the need for the patient’s heart rate and blood pressure to pull up automatically when giving cardiac medications. She reached out to her leadership team and explained a former situation where a patient’s heart rate dropped after a beta blocker was given. Heidi felt this could have been prevented if the heart rate and blood pressure numbers were easily available for the nurse to see when giving a cardiac medication. This idea was shared with a Clinical Informatics nurse, who also agreed this was a good idea. Thanks to her, the adding of heart rate and blood pressure on the MAR for cardiac medications went live ensuring the patient receives the right medication at the right time.

Heidi Rinehart is a nurse on the Neurovascular Unit at Bronson Battle Creek Hospital. She is the recipient of the 2018 Hazel Latondress Impact Award, and was recognized during the 2019 Nursing Excellence Celebration.