Caroline Taunton
August 2023
Caroline
Taunton
,
BSN, RN
Dorothea Dix Care Unit
Cape Fear Valley Health System
Fayetteville
,
NC
United States
Caroline is always prepared for the unexpected and knows how to approach any clinical situation with her solution-focused mindset. During staffing challenges, she continued to work with staff to ensure they felt safe on the unit.
The Dorothea Dix Care Unit (DDCU) opened in June 2022, and we are celebrating the 1-year anniversary of its success. Caroline has worked tirelessly to make the DDCU a safe place for struggling adolescents since day one. When the DDCU opened, new staff had minimal exposure to working with adolescents. She implemented appropriate behavioral interventions for adolescent patients. Caroline worked extensively with nursing staff to provide education to manage adolescents with medical issues and monitor them while they received psychiatric treatment.
Caroline is always prepared for the unexpected and knows how to approach any clinical situation with her solution-focused mindset. During staffing challenges, she continued to work with staff to ensure they felt safe on the unit. Caroline has been involved in staffing from the beginning. She worked day shifts, night shifts, and sometimes ‘in between shifts’ to be able to be present and support the staff.
She actively took a role in training the new residents and child psychiatry fellows regarding policies, procedures, safety protocols, documentation on PRN medications, and many other things. The biggest win of our adolescent unit is safety. The DDCU has completed one full year without utilizing restraints, which is a historical landmark in any inpatient psychiatric facility.
Caroline helped the social work team get discharges done on time when they were understaffed. When serious behavioral outbursts occurred on the unit, she jumped in with the staff to help and direct them in a therapeutic way. Caroline spent hours on the phone handling difficult and complicated family situations. She helped parents process the crisis and the need for help for their children.
Many staff members, including nursing, behavioral health technicians, therapists, security, and residents/fellows on the DDCU wanted to recognize Caroline for her dedication and commitment not just to patient care but also to creating a healthy work and learning environment.
Caroline has won many hearts and gained much respect for her leadership skills as Patient Care Manager on the DDCU.
Caroline is always prepared for the unexpected and knows how to approach any clinical situation with her solution-focused mindset. During staffing challenges, she continued to work with staff to ensure they felt safe on the unit. Caroline has been involved in staffing from the beginning. She worked day shifts, night shifts, and sometimes ‘in between shifts’ to be able to be present and support the staff.
She actively took a role in training the new residents and child psychiatry fellows regarding policies, procedures, safety protocols, documentation on PRN medications, and many other things. The biggest win of our adolescent unit is safety. The DDCU has completed one full year without utilizing restraints, which is a historical landmark in any inpatient psychiatric facility.
Caroline helped the social work team get discharges done on time when they were understaffed. When serious behavioral outbursts occurred on the unit, she jumped in with the staff to help and direct them in a therapeutic way. Caroline spent hours on the phone handling difficult and complicated family situations. She helped parents process the crisis and the need for help for their children.
Many staff members, including nursing, behavioral health technicians, therapists, security, and residents/fellows on the DDCU wanted to recognize Caroline for her dedication and commitment not just to patient care but also to creating a healthy work and learning environment.
Caroline has won many hearts and gained much respect for her leadership skills as Patient Care Manager on the DDCU.