Cassandra has been a part of the VA team for over 10 years. She started here as an LPN and has worked hard to earn her ADN and just recently, her BSN. Throughout her journey, Cassandra has remained dedicated to the unit, her patients, and her family despite all the stressors upon her.
Recently, Cassandra was working on the unit and was assigned to care for a verbally abusive patient. This patient often shouted at staff, telling them to "get out of here" and refusing all care. Cassandra, however, saw the patient as a lonely person who was scared and confused. She spent as much time with the patient as she could, even sitting in the room when she was not with another patient. She calmly explained all treatments to the patient and allowed time for him to vent his concerns. She reached out to his prior unit caregiver to see if she could learn better ways of caring for him, and how to approach him.
Cassandra worked hand-in-hand with wound care to obtain a specialty bed needed for the patient's numerous pressure sores. She gathered her colleagues to help make the transfer to the new bed and even sent a video to all staff on how to operate the bed. At the end of the day, the patient had developed full trust in her and was cooperative with medications and treatments. By taking extra time with him, Cassandra helped the patient understand the reason behind his treatments and their importance, thus influencing his clinical outcome. Throughout the day, Cassandra remained calm and exhibited true caring for this difficult patient. More importantly, Cassandra demonstrated the power of working collaboratively with patients to effect clinical improvement.