Samantha Simmons
February 2024
Samantha
Simmons
,
RN
Dermatology Clinic
University of Virginia Health
Charlottesville
,
VA
United States
There were any number of ways that this situation could have been handled that did not require as much from Sam. Instead, she treated this man the way that she hoped someone would care for her loved one. She helped him, protected him, and ensured he got the care he needed.
Let me tell you about Sam Simmons. I first met her in March 2020. I was charge nurse of the newly opened Covid Clinic, ambulatory clinics (and the world) were shut down, and Sam was an Ambulatory Clin1 who had been reassigned to us. I was a bit concerned about having a Clin 1 in our midst. With our very limited scope in our clinic - just testing for Covid, strep, and flu - I worried that we would not be able to provide her with the enrichment and learning opportunities that she needed in our setting. The Clin 1s had only been practicing for 7 months at that point, and I feared that their education was going to stagnate in the current climate.
Within the first week of her assignment to us, there was a motorcycle accident directly in front of our building, resulting in a patient with a significant femoral artery bleed. Someone came into our clinic to ask if we had any tourniquets. When the staff heard what was happening outside, we jumped into action. Sam, even with her limited experience, didn't hesitate one bit. There was a bystander who had been involved in some way and was very shaken up and seemed like he was in shock. Sam sat by his side to watch him, monitor him, and talk him through this. She was cool, calm, collected, compassionate, and kind to the bystander.
After that day, Sam really shined as a valuable member of our team. Even after many of us were sent back to our home bases in May, Sam stayed on, continuing to shine. Eventually, she moved on to Dermatology to work with the Mohs team after a year of me reminding her that I had an opening there.
I am now the manager of Otolaryngology, and our facial plastics team frequently coordinates with the Mohs team to care for patients. Typically, if a patient is seen in Dermatology for their Mohs procedure, they will have repair the following day (or soon thereafter) and will come to our department once the Mohs procedure is completed for a quick pre-op visit.
This week we had one such patient who had a very large skin cancer on his face, near his eye, resulting in a very large post-mohs defect. Not only did the bandage inhibit his vision to some degree, but the patient also arrived with some personal barriers already in place. He lived quite a distance from the hospital, did not drive, he had some personal limitations, and his family was unable to accompany and assist him. This gentleman's journey had started with his Medicaid cab trying to bring him to our office first, and when they were redirected to the main hospital, the driver left the patient at the door without finding help for him before leaving. After a long day of mohs surgery, the patient needed to take the shuttle from the hospital to Fontaine, and then from Fontaine to the hospitality house for the evening before surgery the following day. As mentioned, he had some limiting factors that made the shuttling part of his day challenging. He was distraught, and unsure that he was going to be able to get to where he needed. Sam, understanding his anxiety and wanting to make sure that the patient was taken care of and that he got where he needed safely, took it upon herself to accompany the patient on the shuttle to Fontaine. She waited for him during his visit here with us, and then rode the shuttle with him to the hospitality house, and finally back to PCC to finish out her workday and take the bus back to her car. She absolutely did not have to go so far above and beyond for this patient. There were any number of ways that this situation could have been handled that did not require as much from Sam. Instead, she treated this man the way that she hoped someone would care for her loved one. She helped him, protected him, and ensured he got the care he needed.
In the world of ambulatory, there are not a lot of opportunities for going so far above and beyond. Our patients are generally self-reliant or have support with them and have been with us for such a short amount of time. Sam consistently goes above and beyond for her patients, as much as she can, but this day, she went even further. She showed an immense amount of kindness and caring and undoubtedly greatly impacted this man's well-being and the outcome of his stay. Sam is the kind of nurse that demonstrates why we are trusted, and respected, and what we should continue to strive for in our profession.
Within the first week of her assignment to us, there was a motorcycle accident directly in front of our building, resulting in a patient with a significant femoral artery bleed. Someone came into our clinic to ask if we had any tourniquets. When the staff heard what was happening outside, we jumped into action. Sam, even with her limited experience, didn't hesitate one bit. There was a bystander who had been involved in some way and was very shaken up and seemed like he was in shock. Sam sat by his side to watch him, monitor him, and talk him through this. She was cool, calm, collected, compassionate, and kind to the bystander.
After that day, Sam really shined as a valuable member of our team. Even after many of us were sent back to our home bases in May, Sam stayed on, continuing to shine. Eventually, she moved on to Dermatology to work with the Mohs team after a year of me reminding her that I had an opening there.
I am now the manager of Otolaryngology, and our facial plastics team frequently coordinates with the Mohs team to care for patients. Typically, if a patient is seen in Dermatology for their Mohs procedure, they will have repair the following day (or soon thereafter) and will come to our department once the Mohs procedure is completed for a quick pre-op visit.
This week we had one such patient who had a very large skin cancer on his face, near his eye, resulting in a very large post-mohs defect. Not only did the bandage inhibit his vision to some degree, but the patient also arrived with some personal barriers already in place. He lived quite a distance from the hospital, did not drive, he had some personal limitations, and his family was unable to accompany and assist him. This gentleman's journey had started with his Medicaid cab trying to bring him to our office first, and when they were redirected to the main hospital, the driver left the patient at the door without finding help for him before leaving. After a long day of mohs surgery, the patient needed to take the shuttle from the hospital to Fontaine, and then from Fontaine to the hospitality house for the evening before surgery the following day. As mentioned, he had some limiting factors that made the shuttling part of his day challenging. He was distraught, and unsure that he was going to be able to get to where he needed. Sam, understanding his anxiety and wanting to make sure that the patient was taken care of and that he got where he needed safely, took it upon herself to accompany the patient on the shuttle to Fontaine. She waited for him during his visit here with us, and then rode the shuttle with him to the hospitality house, and finally back to PCC to finish out her workday and take the bus back to her car. She absolutely did not have to go so far above and beyond for this patient. There were any number of ways that this situation could have been handled that did not require as much from Sam. Instead, she treated this man the way that she hoped someone would care for her loved one. She helped him, protected him, and ensured he got the care he needed.
In the world of ambulatory, there are not a lot of opportunities for going so far above and beyond. Our patients are generally self-reliant or have support with them and have been with us for such a short amount of time. Sam consistently goes above and beyond for her patients, as much as she can, but this day, she went even further. She showed an immense amount of kindness and caring and undoubtedly greatly impacted this man's well-being and the outcome of his stay. Sam is the kind of nurse that demonstrates why we are trusted, and respected, and what we should continue to strive for in our profession.