Ashley is an amazing and compassionate nurse. The entire palliative care team at Morton Plant North Bay Hospital knows she is an asset to the BayCare Health System and has witnessed her great work multiple times.
One recent story that sticks out is when she was taking care of a terminally ill patient who was on BiPap. The family was not allowed to visit initially due to pandemic restrictions. The patient was able to write a note to the mother on a wipe-off board that said, "I'm not going to make it out of here alive, but they are taking great care of me." Ashley also read all the text messages the patient's young daughter sent because the patient couldn't see them with the BiPap mask on.
The family was moved to tears by the things Ashley did to go above and beyond to help them through this difficult time. When she had the patient for the second day in a row, the patient's condition deteriorated, and she advocated for the family to come in and be with the patient during the final moments. She ensured the patient was comfortable and had all the medications needed to minimize suffering at the end of life.
The patient's daughter shared with Ashley that she is in nursing school herself, and she hoped she could be half as good a nurse as Ashley when she graduates. Ashley spent time listening to the family tell stories about the patient because she knew the patient was so much more than a task list on her computer screen. Our team was so grateful she was there with this patient and the family on the weekend.