Caitlyn Russell
March 2016
Caitlyn
Russell
,
RN, BSN
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Atrium Medical Center
Middletown
,
OH
United States
Caitlyn Russell is an amazing nurse. Late last year my brother was living in my basement, and as I finished my day at work, I learned that he was in the ER. I found out shortly thereafter that he had been injecting heroin into his body. He was severely ill and was admitted to the ICU, where Caitlyn was his nurse for many days. I was impressed by how brilliant Caitlyn was. She managed my brother medically with confidence and a wealth of knowledge. I was 100% certain that he was getting the best possible care when she was his nurse.
Caitlyn got to know my family intimately during this time. She learned that our family had recently lost my younger brother to brain cancer. She went out of her way to ensure that my family and I felt okay leaving my brother in the hospital under her care, so we were able to get short periods of rest. She hugged us. She answered every tedious question that we asked without hesitation. She skipped lunch ... she stayed late. She always dedicated her attention to her patients, my brother, and our family.
Unfortunately, my brother went into respiratory and cardiac arrest several days after his admission, and Caitlyn was his nurse. My mom had to make the hardest decision of her life; to stop CPR. Mom still agreed to blood and medication administration, and Caitlyn worked feverishly to administer these things. I finally had to take her hand and tell her to stop. She hugged me so tightly; I was overwhelmed with empathy for her. After a few minutes, she grabbed my hand and she and I placed my brother's fingerprints on tiles.
Days later, our family had a memorial service for my brother. Caitlyn took off work early to come. She brought with her the fingerprints we had taken. I cannot express how dynamic Caitlyn's role was to our family during this time. She was a huge support, and we are all confident in the fact that he received the best care possible while hospitalized. Caitlyn genuinely wanted to give my brother the best care, regardless of the circumstances that brought him to the hospital.
I respect her, and truly believe that the DAISY Award was developed for nurses like her. Caitlyn is definitely one of Atrium's finest!
Caitlyn got to know my family intimately during this time. She learned that our family had recently lost my younger brother to brain cancer. She went out of her way to ensure that my family and I felt okay leaving my brother in the hospital under her care, so we were able to get short periods of rest. She hugged us. She answered every tedious question that we asked without hesitation. She skipped lunch ... she stayed late. She always dedicated her attention to her patients, my brother, and our family.
Unfortunately, my brother went into respiratory and cardiac arrest several days after his admission, and Caitlyn was his nurse. My mom had to make the hardest decision of her life; to stop CPR. Mom still agreed to blood and medication administration, and Caitlyn worked feverishly to administer these things. I finally had to take her hand and tell her to stop. She hugged me so tightly; I was overwhelmed with empathy for her. After a few minutes, she grabbed my hand and she and I placed my brother's fingerprints on tiles.
Days later, our family had a memorial service for my brother. Caitlyn took off work early to come. She brought with her the fingerprints we had taken. I cannot express how dynamic Caitlyn's role was to our family during this time. She was a huge support, and we are all confident in the fact that he received the best care possible while hospitalized. Caitlyn genuinely wanted to give my brother the best care, regardless of the circumstances that brought him to the hospital.
I respect her, and truly believe that the DAISY Award was developed for nurses like her. Caitlyn is definitely one of Atrium's finest!