Burkardt was nominated by her peers and honored with the JCMH Preceptor of the Year Award on March 10 for her exceptional dedication and caring.

Burkardt’s husband, Maj. Sean Shanahan, is a former B-52 pilot at Minot Air Force, now at Altus AFB, Oklahoma. Her parents are Edward and Pam Burkardt, grandparents are Robert and Betty Wheeler, and great-grandparents were Walter and Martha Wheeler, all of Minot.

Caitlyn Burkardt tells the story of the past year of working with COVID-19 patients at the Oklahoma hospital.

– Eloise Ogden

Caitlyn Burkardt is shown with her goggles and mask. She is a registered nurse on the Medical/Surgical floor at Jackson County Memorial Hospital, Altus, Oklahoma, where she has been caring for COVID-19 patients since early last year.

I work as a registered nurse on the Medical/Surgical floor at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus, OK. It is a small, but mighty hospital in the southwest corner of the state, not far from the Texas border. I was hired on by the hospital right out of nursing school in January of 2019, after my husband got orders.

On March 11, 2020, our Emergency Department treated our first COVID positive patient. It was at this time that the hospital stood up its emergency preparedness plan in an effort to protect our staff and patients. This plan included innovations line Intubation GO bags, retrofitting our ICU rooms to accommodate IV pump management from outside the room, and extensive staff education, collaboration, and problem solving.

On April 1st, we had our first positive inpatient, my patient actually. The patient was moved to our newly designated COVID unit, and I followed him as his nurse. We knew very little about the disease, how easily it could be transmitted, or what worked for treatment options. Our Chief Nursing Officer and Infections Prevention nurse were on the floor working out logistics of how to physically care for these patients without enough equipment to do so. It feels like a lifetime ago, honestly.

Since then, our COVID unit has ebbed and flowed with patients, but we have remained fairly full for most of the year. I work with an amazing team of nurses, CNAs, respiratory therapists and physicians. ICUs all over the states were full, and we were no exception. There was no “higher level of care” to be found anywhere.

Before COVID when we heard our helicopter take off, we would say a quick prayer for the person who needed to be shipped out, poor guy. Once COVID hit, the sound of the helicopter was a relief, it meant some lucky person got a bed somewhere and maybe had a chance.

Our ICU overflowed onto our floor. My mom used to say the unofficial motto of our family is “Semper Gumbi, always flexible” and that is a phrase we’ve adopted on the Unit. To say we worked longer than normal hours is an understatement. We came to work day after day, for months on end.

Our staff was not immune to COVID, even though we took every precaution. It seemed like COVID worked its way through each department, one at a time. Respiratory therapy first, then nursing, then our physicians. Some ended up in the ICU, some were able to stay home. Our families got COVID, some of whom are still in rehab facilities months after their hospitalization, trying to get well enough to come home.

Our hospital began taking transfers from the hospitals in the cities several hours away. We would have a bed available, and if we didn’t need to fill it with a patient from our community immediately, we would take a transfer from Oklahoma City or Elk City. At one point, I was on my twelfth 12-hour shift in two weeks. I was dog tired, would have given anything to call in, but I knew that I had to relieve the nurse who cared for our patients overnight, and there was no one else. We all continued to show up every day, to relieve each other, to care for your fellow nurse.

We continue to have and treat COVID patients in our hospital. With the vaccines rolling out, we are seeing cases drop, and pray that this is a trend that will continue.

My dad was in the military, stationed at Minot when he met my mom, who is from there. We moved all around with my dad’s career, but would always come and visit Minot. I applied and was accepted to Minot State in 2015, and moved there to complete my education. I was one of the lucky ones that got into their Nursing program a year and a half later. I firmly believe that Minot State has the best Nursing program in the country, and it has prepared me for this pandemic in ways I didn’t realize.

What got us through this last year at my hospital is ingenuity, collaboration, advocacy, and camaraderie. These are traits that are instilled in MSU Nursing graduates and are what make them successful nurses. I follow my fellow classmates from nursing school on Facebook, and I see all of them confidently providing care in various settings in this pandemic. I feel empowered by the education I received and have been able to contribute because of it.

I was nominated, and won Preceptor of the Year by Christina Kendall, a new grad nurse that I precepted last year. I have included the hospital’s statement for the award. The JCMH Preceptor is an experienced nurse or support staff who trains new employees during their orientation. They create a positive learning environment, teach hospital protocols, encourage critical thinking, and establish a foundation for excellent patient care.

My husband is Major Sean Shanahan. He flew B-52s in the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base. He has now cross trained to the 56th Air Refueling Squadron and is flying the KC-46, which is the Air Forces new air refueler. He serves as executive officer to the 97th Operations Group commander. I feel it is necessary to include that I could not have performed my job to the level in which I did if it was not for him. He carried me through this last year, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, bringing food to the hospital to feed us.

Following is the hospital’s statement for the award:

“The JCMH Preceptor of the Year Award was established to recognize an outstanding employee who has gone above and beyond for their orientee to help them succeed in their role, all while exemplifying the vision and values of our hospital.

“Caidee has worked at JCMH for two years. She graduated from Minot State University with her BSN in 2018. Caidee has largely committed her time to the COVID-19 unit.

“She was recognized by her peers as a role model, empowering others to gain confidence while becoming a valued member of the team. Caidee combines the knowledge, skills, abilities and roles of both a coach and a mentor to help others to develop and mature within the profession of nursing.

“Caidee was nominated by her former orientee, Chris Kendall, RN. Chris wrote, “Caidee showed astuteness in identifying my comfort zone and gently pushed me out by always being a reassuring presence, but never allowing me to back out. She better understood the system I learned in and was able to offer reassurances that the nursing was still the same even if it felt different. Caidee continues to inspire me through her dedication to furthering her knowledge, her willingness to teach anyone who needs it and to offer support wherever she can.”

“When asked to describe a situation where the preceptor provided exceptional patient care the orientee wrote ‘I see Caidee, when she is sitting at the bedside of someone who is actively dying, holding their hand, giving them reassurance and company to the very end. I see Caidee, when she stays late after shift is over to make sure families of the COVID patients have been given the update on how their family member is when they can’t be at their bedside. I see Caidee, with her big heart, caring for others both to patients and staff.’

“Meggi Gifford, 3N Nurse Manager, says, ‘Caidee is deserving of this award as she is very thorough with her teaching, coaching and mentoring not only her own orientee, but also for her fellow newer co-workers as well. No matter the experience level of her teammate, she takes the opportunity to provide a teachable moment when applicable and guidance to promote team efficiency and improve patient outcomes. She is a valued preceptor for our 3North team and our organization! ‘ ”