Burn Unit Nursing Team
August 2016
Burn Unit Nursing
TEAM at HCMC
,
RNs
Burn Unit
Hennepin County Medical Center
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States
Burn Unit Nursing Team Honorees: Laura Hernick, RN; Amy Hiltner, RN; Cassandra Lynch, RN; Danielle Matey, RN; Jessica Williams, RN
Our daughter became very sick over the Christmas holidays. For almost two weeks, her care and recovery was provided by HCMC's Burn Unit Nursing Team. We have never experienced anything in our lives as terrifying as nearly losing a child. We were counseled early on in this ordeal to make sure we took care of ourselves. It was important that we would be able to be healthy enough to take care of our daughter when she needed us. We needed to sleep. We needed to eat. We needed to be able to set aside our worries and fears and rest our minds. We needed to take care of our family at home. Those are not easy things to do when your child's health could change hour by hour. The urge to be at her bedside morning, noon and night was powerful. It felt more natural to overlook our well-being and focus only on our daughter. What helped us be able to take care of ourselves and overcome that urge to never leave our daughter's side and take the time to care for ourselves was HCMC's Burn Unit nursing team.
We knew the nursing competence would be second to none given the reputation of the unit. We didn't expect that it's nursing staff would be filled with nurses that would care for her with so much love and compassion and advocate on her behalf. The following are examples of the nominee's extraordinary commitment to patient-centered care:
1. Using tone and language that reflected a caring relationship. Even though she was intubated for much of her recovery, the team spoke to her as if she was awake and as if she was a child they cared deeply about. They were gentle, referred to her using endearing terms, apologized for things that were uncomfortable, encouraged her to get well, applauded her accomplishments during her recovery and told her when they were proud of her.
2. Proactively reached out to other departments to ensure those teams did what was expected and provided. They did not accept initial pushback or excuses and were firm when appropriate.
3. Knowing that many little girls want to feel pretty. Our daughter suffered severe skin trauma. Even while intubated, one of the nurses took time to comb her hair and during her next shift washed and braided it. For us, coming into her room to see that is a sight that we will never forget.
4. Actively encouraging us to participate in her care and recovery. The team answered questions, often over and over again and encouraged us to call whenever we wanted to. Each time we called, even at 2am, the team was always professional, calm and kind. They greeted us with smiles, even if they were busy. They never let us feel like we were intruding and no request was beneath them or annoying. When they said to us, "let us know if you need anything," they meant it.
5. Telling us when rounds occurred and if there was a change in schedule. They knew how important this was to us and made sure we were there.
6. Making sure other people, even other physicians, handled and examined our daughter gently. In one instance, a nurse actually told a doctor that she would finish the work he was doing. We knew it was because she saw that the doctor was being too rough and she knew she would be more gentle.
7. Putting themselves in her place. When she was transferred to the step down unit, a nurse purposefully recommended a room that would overlook the building of the stadium because she thought that she would enjoy that during her recovery.
8. Realizing that phone calls to us can be unnerving, the nurses always started non-emergency calls with, "everything is okay"; they knew that is what we needed to know first.
9. Going the extra mile to find food that was more appetizing for our child and taking time to find solutions. If we were too late to change a meal order, they would check other sources to see if there may be something she would like better, even making a milkshake. It would have been easier to just say, "sorry, too late." But, this team isn't built that way.
10. Helping us with tips on dealing with a long-term hospital stay, whether it was eating establishments or getting the best deal on parking. They helped us get acclimated for our long-term, unexpected stay.
It is the combination of these activities that helped us know that our daughter was always in good hands, day or night. And that allowed us to take care of ourselves and our family while she recovered. It was the nursing team that eased the pain of an ordeal that was already so painful for our daughter and our family. Thank you HCMC Burn Unit Team for helping save her life and doing so in a way that made her feel loved and cared for.
Our daughter became very sick over the Christmas holidays. For almost two weeks, her care and recovery was provided by HCMC's Burn Unit Nursing Team. We have never experienced anything in our lives as terrifying as nearly losing a child. We were counseled early on in this ordeal to make sure we took care of ourselves. It was important that we would be able to be healthy enough to take care of our daughter when she needed us. We needed to sleep. We needed to eat. We needed to be able to set aside our worries and fears and rest our minds. We needed to take care of our family at home. Those are not easy things to do when your child's health could change hour by hour. The urge to be at her bedside morning, noon and night was powerful. It felt more natural to overlook our well-being and focus only on our daughter. What helped us be able to take care of ourselves and overcome that urge to never leave our daughter's side and take the time to care for ourselves was HCMC's Burn Unit nursing team.
We knew the nursing competence would be second to none given the reputation of the unit. We didn't expect that it's nursing staff would be filled with nurses that would care for her with so much love and compassion and advocate on her behalf. The following are examples of the nominee's extraordinary commitment to patient-centered care:
1. Using tone and language that reflected a caring relationship. Even though she was intubated for much of her recovery, the team spoke to her as if she was awake and as if she was a child they cared deeply about. They were gentle, referred to her using endearing terms, apologized for things that were uncomfortable, encouraged her to get well, applauded her accomplishments during her recovery and told her when they were proud of her.
2. Proactively reached out to other departments to ensure those teams did what was expected and provided. They did not accept initial pushback or excuses and were firm when appropriate.
3. Knowing that many little girls want to feel pretty. Our daughter suffered severe skin trauma. Even while intubated, one of the nurses took time to comb her hair and during her next shift washed and braided it. For us, coming into her room to see that is a sight that we will never forget.
4. Actively encouraging us to participate in her care and recovery. The team answered questions, often over and over again and encouraged us to call whenever we wanted to. Each time we called, even at 2am, the team was always professional, calm and kind. They greeted us with smiles, even if they were busy. They never let us feel like we were intruding and no request was beneath them or annoying. When they said to us, "let us know if you need anything," they meant it.
5. Telling us when rounds occurred and if there was a change in schedule. They knew how important this was to us and made sure we were there.
6. Making sure other people, even other physicians, handled and examined our daughter gently. In one instance, a nurse actually told a doctor that she would finish the work he was doing. We knew it was because she saw that the doctor was being too rough and she knew she would be more gentle.
7. Putting themselves in her place. When she was transferred to the step down unit, a nurse purposefully recommended a room that would overlook the building of the stadium because she thought that she would enjoy that during her recovery.
8. Realizing that phone calls to us can be unnerving, the nurses always started non-emergency calls with, "everything is okay"; they knew that is what we needed to know first.
9. Going the extra mile to find food that was more appetizing for our child and taking time to find solutions. If we were too late to change a meal order, they would check other sources to see if there may be something she would like better, even making a milkshake. It would have been easier to just say, "sorry, too late." But, this team isn't built that way.
10. Helping us with tips on dealing with a long-term hospital stay, whether it was eating establishments or getting the best deal on parking. They helped us get acclimated for our long-term, unexpected stay.
It is the combination of these activities that helped us know that our daughter was always in good hands, day or night. And that allowed us to take care of ourselves and our family while she recovered. It was the nursing team that eased the pain of an ordeal that was already so painful for our daughter and our family. Thank you HCMC Burn Unit Team for helping save her life and doing so in a way that made her feel loved and cared for.