I would like to bring your attention to the exemplary care Anna Rehl,RN provided last night to a patient in Critical Care and who was on the Critical Care service. Anna was able to identify a significant and critical change in the patient's condition that was not as obvious as it initially seemed. This observation definitely led to the more timely performance of emergency surgery that potentially will have prevented the patient from developing some major long-term complications. Anna provided very compassionate and supportive care for the patient during some very difficult situations over the course of the remainder of the shift.
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Anna was the ultimate patient advocate when she cared for a complex patient who was angry and had a life threatening disease. She was always professional and kind. She questioned orders that she didn't understand and didn't feel were in the patient's best interest. She advocated for the family. She clarified the patient's emotions, the family's emotions and worked to bridge their misunderstandings.
As she trained in a new position she met a supervisor with professionalism and proactively advocated for herself. I am proud of Anna as a person and a nurse.