Today Amanda Hughey truly demonstrated our Mercy Spirit when caring for a patient on 3D Medical. During our provider-nurse rounds the physician mentioned that the patient's husband was on 6B and in the active stages of dying. This was a change in his condition and plan of care compared to how he had been doing on previous days during their admissions. The physician asked if there was any way we could allow for the patient to go to her husband's bedside during that day. Amanda's patient had been admitted with an exacerbation of her COPD; she was very elderly and frail and unable to get up without assistance. As her nurse, Amanda knew it would be a very difficult trek across the hospital for the patient to visit with her spouse that day, even by wheelchair. She spoke with Dr. A about the possibility of moving the spouse from 6B to our unit to make it less difficult for her patient on 3D; this would also allow Amanda to continue monitoring her patient during her visits with her husband. Also of note is that our 3D census is currently capped at 11 patients and taking a patient from 6B would make our 12th patient. Amanda told the charge nurse that she was completely agreeable to going above our capped census because this was the right thing to do for these two patients.

Dr. A agreed with Amanda's plan and felt it would work for both patients' benefit, especially because the husband was in a semi-private room on 6B until a private room became available. Amanda asked 3D's clinical educator to accompany her to 6B where they met with the spouse's primary nurse and discussed the transfer so the patient could be in a private room near his wife. The nurses gave bedside report while assessing the patient's needs and then transferred him to 3D after notifying bed control. Amanda worked with Natasha, another 3D RN, to suction the patient and make him comfortable. She delegated calls to be made to address his current pain, anxiety, and comfort and also called pastoral care services. She coordinated bringing the patient to see her husband after he was made comfortable and facilitated the visit with a chaplain.

Amanda demonstrated practice expertise by making safety and comfort decisions for both patients, spiritual attentiveness by involving pastoral services, and comprehensive care orchestration by coordinating the transfer and making sure both patients would receive the appropriate level of care and monitoring. In addition, Amanda exhibited attention to a therapeutic environment through her clearly compassionate care, attentive presence and tender courage to take on this transfer as soon as she was aware of the spouse's change in condition. She is an exceptional nurse that went beyond the normal constraints of her job to ensure both patients had the medical care, nursing care, and support they needed during this most difficult time in their lives.