BoBBi Dallman ForT DoDge

ICU nurse powers through pandemic

Dallman's daughter inspires her to go into health care field

BY CHAD THOMPSON

editor@messengernews.net

Bobbi Dallman felt a strange connection with one of the first patients she treated for COVID-19 in the critical care unit.

“The first person I coded with COVID was the same age as me,” said Dallman, a 35-yearold registered nurse at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center. “That really changed me. That was one of our first COVID patients (in 2020). She went into cardiac arrest several times and resulted in passing away. It was very difficult.”

Dallman has worked in health care since 2014. She’s been a team member at UnityPoint in the hospital since 2019.

Before the pandemic, treating patients was relatively easier. The pace was different. There’s always been hectic days, Dallman said. But usually there would be a pause in the chaos. Now, those shifts are harder to come by.

“Before COVID, we would see people get better,” she said. “Unfortunately, we don’t see that a lot with COVID. We do everything we can for them and unfortunately sometimes it’s just not enough. The hardest part is being there before and watching that successful outcome and now sometimes it doesn’t work. And that’s an adjustment. Even two years later, I feel like we still aren’t used to it.”

She’s seen the effect that the virus can have, even on relatively young and healthy people.

“We see this every day and know how damaging it can be,” Dallman said. “We have had very young patients come in who are healthy otherwise. It’s not just elderly or people who have a medical history. I just try to educate people with medical facts.”

Dallman’s reason for entering the profession can be seen around her neck. She wears a memorial locket necklace with her daughter’s ashes inside.

Her daughter, Keirstyn Swanson, passed away in 2012 from complications during her second open heart surgery. She was 4.

Swanson was born with a heart disease. As a result, Dallman stayed home with her and provided 24-hour care for years.

“That led me toward nursing school eventually,” Dallman said. “She was very critical. I just knew I wanted to do my part to prevent that from happening to someone else’s family member.”

Dallman works the night shift. She arrives at the hospital at 6:40 p.m. and doesn’t go home until 7:30 or 8 the next morning.

By the time she’s done, Dallman walks as many as 30,000 steps. She believes day shift nurses will walk more than that on certain days.

For each shift, Dallman starts by getting her assignment from the charge nurse. There’s typically two patients per nurse, but sometimes it’s three.

“Lately if we are short, it’s 3 to 1, but charge nurses do a great job of assigning manageable patients,” Dallman said.

Dallman conducts three assessments each shift on her patients — one every few hours.

“You completely assess the patient head to toe and a more focused assessment of why they are there,” she said. “We reround every hour — peek in on them. Patients that can’t turn, we go in every two hours and turn them and answer any call lights.”

Dallman is the mother to four children. She shares custody of her 6-year-old daughter, Emersyn.

“On the weekends her dad has her, I am open to work because I don’t have to worry about day care or my time with her,” Dallman said. “When I pick up extra shifts that’s something I have to look at. If I don’t have day care, I’d rather be here helping.”

Sometimes work follows Dallman home.

“Trying to balance everything is a challenge,” she said. “Staying focused. The hardest part is leaving work at work and home at home, trying not to intertwine the two. I’m a very empathetic person and most of us are. When something happens here that doesn’t have the outcome we want, it’s hard not to take that home with us.”

Yet Dallman is able to power through. And she credits that in large part to the culture created at UnityPoint.

Small gestures of gratitude make a world of a difference.

“Our teamwork, our cohesion as a team,” Dallman said. “Our bond over the last few years because we go through so much together. Our patients’ families when they give us gratification or send us baskets full of treats or goodies and calling several times to check up on families and tell us we are doing an amazing job.”

Fort dodge

-Messenger file photo

BOBBI DALLMAN, an ICU registered nurse at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center, shows her memorial necklace dedicated to her daughter. Her daughter, Keirstyn Swanson, passed away in 2012 at the age of 4. She’s the reason Dallman pursued a career in health care.

“The hardest part is leaving work at work and home at home, trying not to intertwine the two. I’m a very empathetic person and most of us are. When something happens here that doesn’t have the outcome we want, it’s hard not to take that home with us.”

— BOBBI DALLMAN ICU registered nurse

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