The phone rings, there is a slight silent delay followed by, "Hello, this is JoHanna with One Call, how can I help you?"
The provider on the other end of the line lets out a heavy sigh and starts the conversation. "I need to transfer a patient to you." The One Call transfer nurse can hear the concern in their voice, holds her calm and starts gathering information, piece by piece to see how to best direct this call. "Name and date of birth of your patient please." As the date of birth is given, the transfer nurse internally sinks and thinks, "they are so young." The provider then gives a brief diagnosis and that this transfer is emergent. The transfer nurse keeps calm and gathers the correct admitting provider on the line for provider-to-provider report. The transfer nurse mutes her side of the line and starts to transpose as fast as the providers are speaking. She hears the concern in the voice of the sending provider, she hears the lab results, she hears about the images that were taken, and the condition of the patient. She hears the candidness of the providers, sharing real, no BS thoughts and off the record remarks. She feels for the sending provider doing their best to get that patient to a higher level of care in a timely manner for the best outcome for that patient. She hears the urgent tone in the receiving provider to have a team ready to receive and intervene as soon as the patient arrives. She hears the flight team gathering information, the weight of the patient and if a family member will be flying with them and in the background of that phone call, she hears the radio going off, flight is in high demand today. Reports have been given.
Everyone that needs to know, knows and the plan is in place to retrieve the patient and get them to a higher level of care. Good-byes are said the lines click off one by one. Just as the transfer nurse puts the finishing notes in the transfer chart, sends out an alert to all parties and hits "complete request" the phone rings again. Pulling herself together, she answers: "Hello, this is JoHanna with One Call, how can I help you?" As the provider on the other end starts talking, the transfer nurse hears the helicopter taking off and she silently prays, 'Lord, go before the flight team and medical staff, protect them and be with the patient and their family, may Your will be done'. "...and whom am I speaking with..."
