November 2018
Ashley
Minton
,
BSN, RN
ICU
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center
Winston Salem
,
NC
United States
A patient's 12-year-old autistic grandson was becoming very upset and did not want to leave his grandpa's bedside. His grandfather was intubated and sedated in ICU and the boy's mom brought him for a short visit. It was getting late but he didn't want to leave his grandpa alone. This was not Ashely's patient but seeing the situation, she had an idea. Ashley remembered a stuffed monkey a patient's daughter had given her months ago and went to get it from her locker. Giving the boy the stuffed monkey, she then put the boy's name on a medication sticker and put the monkey on the bed with his grandfather. The boy was satisfied that the monkey would be enough to keep his grandfather company. She also developed a plan that his mom would call the unit at night before he went to bed and so he could tell his grandpa goodnight over the speaker phone. This is just one example of Ashley's passion for caring for our patients and their families here in the ICU.