We recently had a patient who was in the hospital for 2 months recovering from a difficult surgery. The patient's family was far away, and she had also missed the birth of her granddaughter. One day Caitria had an office day on the unit and made time to take the patient outside so she could get some fresh air. The patient's daughter arrived with her new granddaughter while the patient was outside. Caitria coordinated a surprise by having the patient take a walk around the unit before she asked the patient to go into the conference room where her daughter, son-in-law, and new granddaughter were waiting. The patient was overjoyed and brought many of the staff to tears. I'm so glad Caitria was able to help the patient feel more normal despite her prolonged hospital stay.
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Caitria is an exemplary nurse and person. She sets an example by always holding herself and all staff to the highest ethical standards. There was one situation recently where a patient was hesitant about receiving a deceased donor kidney transplant from a high-risk donor. The patient was very conscious of his own health and was not sure if this surgery would hurt him more than help him. Caitria made sure to coordinate various team roles including the transplant team, the patient's own infectious disease doctor, patient advocacy, the transplant research team, and the patient's family. It was extremely challenging to have all these people speak to each other before the patient's transplant, which was only a few hours away. Without Caitria ensuring there was communication between all the teams, the patient would not have felt confident proceeding with the surgery. Caitria's time and attention allowed the patient to make the decision that was best for him.