
Conversations
Season
1
Episode
62
|
Feb 27, 2025
ICU Liberation with Kali Dayton and Heidi Engel
Kali Dayton, critical care nurse practitioner, ICU outcomes consultant, and host of the Walking Home from the ICU podcast, joins pioneering ICU physical therapist Heidi Engel to discuss long-standing ICU practices rooted in sedation and immobility. Together, they make a powerful case for a transformative model that keeps patients awake, engaged, and walking—even while on ventilators.
0:00/1:34


Conversations
Season
1
Episode
62
|
Feb 27, 2025
ICU Liberation with Kali Dayton and Heidi Engel
Kali Dayton, critical care nurse practitioner, ICU outcomes consultant, and host of the Walking Home from the ICU podcast, joins pioneering ICU physical therapist Heidi Engel to discuss long-standing ICU practices rooted in sedation and immobility. Together, they make a powerful case for a transformative model that keeps patients awake, engaged, and walking—even while on ventilators.
0:00/1:34


Conversations
Season
1
Episode
62
|
2/27/25
ICU Liberation with Kali Dayton and Heidi Engel
Kali Dayton, critical care nurse practitioner, ICU outcomes consultant, and host of the Walking Home from the ICU podcast, joins pioneering ICU physical therapist Heidi Engel to discuss long-standing ICU practices rooted in sedation and immobility. Together, they make a powerful case for a transformative model that keeps patients awake, engaged, and walking—even while on ventilators.
0:00/1:34


About Our Guest
Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, host of the Walking Home From The ICU and Walking You Through The ICU podcasts, and critical care outcomes consultant. She is dedicated to creating Awake and Walking ICUs by ensuring ICU sedation and mobility practices are aligned with current research. She works with ICU teams internationally to transform patient outcomes through early mobility and management of delirium in the ICU.
Heidi Engel has been a physical therapist for 38 years, working exclusively in the MICU and SICU at UCSF Medical Center full time for the past 15 years- creating the first UCSF ICU Early Mobility Program and the first physical therapist established early mobility program in the United States. She received the UCSF Outstanding Colleague of Nursing Award in 2012, a Presidential Citation from the Society of Critical Care Medicine in 2013, and the American Physical Therapy Association Jack Walker Award for Research Excellence in 2014. She currently teaches at UCSF, conducts research in ICU Rehabilitation, has given over 100 presentations outside of UCSF, and is an author on 16 peer reviewed publications. She is a founding member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine ICU Liberation Campaign
About The Show
The Nocturnists is an award-winning medical storytelling podcast, hosted by physician Emily Silverman. We feature personal stories from frontline clinicians, conversations with healthcare-related authors, and art-makers. Our mission is to humanize healthcare and foster joy, wonder, and curiosity among clinicians and patients alike.
resources
Credits

About Our Guest
Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, host of the Walking Home From The ICU and Walking You Through The ICU podcasts, and critical care outcomes consultant. She is dedicated to creating Awake and Walking ICUs by ensuring ICU sedation and mobility practices are aligned with current research. She works with ICU teams internationally to transform patient outcomes through early mobility and management of delirium in the ICU.
Heidi Engel has been a physical therapist for 38 years, working exclusively in the MICU and SICU at UCSF Medical Center full time for the past 15 years- creating the first UCSF ICU Early Mobility Program and the first physical therapist established early mobility program in the United States. She received the UCSF Outstanding Colleague of Nursing Award in 2012, a Presidential Citation from the Society of Critical Care Medicine in 2013, and the American Physical Therapy Association Jack Walker Award for Research Excellence in 2014. She currently teaches at UCSF, conducts research in ICU Rehabilitation, has given over 100 presentations outside of UCSF, and is an author on 16 peer reviewed publications. She is a founding member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine ICU Liberation Campaign
About The Show
The Nocturnists is an award-winning medical storytelling podcast, hosted by physician Emily Silverman. We feature personal stories from frontline clinicians, conversations with healthcare-related authors, and art-makers. Our mission is to humanize healthcare and foster joy, wonder, and curiosity among clinicians and patients alike.
resources
Credits

About Our Guest
Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, host of the Walking Home From The ICU and Walking You Through The ICU podcasts, and critical care outcomes consultant. She is dedicated to creating Awake and Walking ICUs by ensuring ICU sedation and mobility practices are aligned with current research. She works with ICU teams internationally to transform patient outcomes through early mobility and management of delirium in the ICU.
Heidi Engel has been a physical therapist for 38 years, working exclusively in the MICU and SICU at UCSF Medical Center full time for the past 15 years- creating the first UCSF ICU Early Mobility Program and the first physical therapist established early mobility program in the United States. She received the UCSF Outstanding Colleague of Nursing Award in 2012, a Presidential Citation from the Society of Critical Care Medicine in 2013, and the American Physical Therapy Association Jack Walker Award for Research Excellence in 2014. She currently teaches at UCSF, conducts research in ICU Rehabilitation, has given over 100 presentations outside of UCSF, and is an author on 16 peer reviewed publications. She is a founding member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine ICU Liberation Campaign
About The Show
The Nocturnists is an award-winning medical storytelling podcast, hosted by physician Emily Silverman. We feature personal stories from frontline clinicians, conversations with healthcare-related authors, and art-makers. Our mission is to humanize healthcare and foster joy, wonder, and curiosity among clinicians and patients alike.
resources
Credits
The Nocturnists is made possible by the California Medical Association, and donations from people like you!

Transcript
Note: The Nocturnists is created primarily as a listening experience. The audio contains emotion, emphasis, and soundscapes that are not easily transcribed. We encourage you to listen to the episode if at all possible. Our transcripts are produced using both speech recognition software and human copy editors, and may not be 100% accurate. Thank you for consulting the audio before quoting in print.
Transcript coming soon.
Note: The Nocturnists is created primarily as a listening experience. The audio contains emotion, emphasis, and soundscapes that are not easily transcribed. We encourage you to listen to the episode if at all possible. Our transcripts are produced using both speech recognition software and human copy editors, and may not be 100% accurate. Thank you for consulting the audio before quoting in print.
Transcript coming soon.

Transcript
Note: The Nocturnists is created primarily as a listening experience. The audio contains emotion, emphasis, and soundscapes that are not easily transcribed. We encourage you to listen to the episode if at all possible. Our transcripts are produced using both speech recognition software and human copy editors, and may not be 100% accurate. Thank you for consulting the audio before quoting in print.
Transcript coming soon.
0:00/1:34