Meet Raechel Rowland
2019 Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Award Winner: Nursing Student Category
The Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Awards recognized two nursing students in 2019. One award was given to Raechel Rowland, a student at Aspen University and a Lean Practitioner at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, MI.
Raechel is currently working towards her Masters of Science in Nursing degree, specializing in clinical informatics. “I have had a passion for improving sepsis care for many years and have previously worked as a Sepsis Coordinator and Core Measure Coordinator. Despite my continued work in raising awareness of sepsis and improving processes to facilitate
early detection of sepsis, I continue to meet many health care professionals who do not have current knowledge and necessary tools to move the dial on improving sepsis outcomes. I currently have been mentoring a newly appointed Sepsis Coordinator with our organization so I can help him excel in this very demanding and needed role.”
Raechel also has a personal connection with sepsis, which makes this award more special to her. In 2008, Raechel underwent an out-patient procedure that resulted in an infection in her knee that developed into severe sepsis. She was hospitalized for 42 days and had 8 surgeries. After being discharged home with a PICC line and 90 days of IV antibiotics, she needed a walker and had to fight her way back to full strength. Instead of being off work for a week, as was planned, she was gone for 7.5 months. “From this experience, I gained invaluable lessons about what the patient experience and family member experience is and also what life is like after sepsis.”
Raechel envisions her role in the future in relation to sepsis awareness, identification, or management as an active and proactive one. “I am one of the lucky ones who is still here today to tell my story, so shame on me if I were not to use my voice to elevate awareness for improved sepsis care,” Rachael wrote in her application.
“When I was notified of being selected as a Sepsis Hero 2019, I was profoundly honored both professionally and personally. The fact that I survived Sepsis 11 years ago and I am here to share my story encourages me to do all I can to raise awareness in how to prevent and detect Sepsis. The Sepsis Alliance has been a wonderful resource for me and I am so grateful to them for the work they tirelessly do to promote the awareness of Sepsis. My work is dedicated to all the people and families who lost a loved one due to Sepsis. Honoring them motivates me to move this important work forward,” said Raechel.
When asked what she would do with the grant money, Raechel responded that she would put the money towards designing an Escape Room. This room would be centered on teaching staff members about early sepsis detection and care. “This innovative approach might draw in more students and willing learners. I have done some research on this and hospitals across the country are deploying similar initiatives to improve critical thinking skills which I fear are getting lost somewhat in the digital era because our smart devices do so much “thinking” for us. When caring for sepsis patients, we must think and act quickly! Every second counts.”
Raechel would also like to create a short video about sepsis care in follow-up to the learning made available through the Escape Room. The title of the escape room is “Time Zero: Bol Us Over With Rapid Sepsis Care.”
To meet the rest of the nursing award recipients, click here.
