There was a need on the other rotation, and Charlene Usry agreed to work opposite the other Charge Nurse. She recognized the need for consistency in that role to complete all of the necessary daily tasks. Every day she is there, she goes into the rooms to check for extra equipment and pillows and brings them to the desk, cleans them, and stores them for future use. We have been working hard to prevent CLABSIs and she goes around to every room and checks lines and dressings on all patients. She makes sure all of the whiteboards are updated. She collects any extra equipment and takes it into the supply room so it will be ready when other staff needs it. She has worked as many as 9-10 shifts in a row because there was a need. She never complains about the schedule and is very good about swapping days when needed. She is flexible and adaptable. Even though she is a Relief RN, she offered to work a 5/2 split opposite the other Charge Nurse so that both rotations would have consistent Charge Nurses. Even though she is usually a day Nurse, she agreed to help out nights a couple of shifts so that we would not be short.
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We had a patient that was aggressive and the wife got upset about his aggression. When I was about to walk in the room, the wife was in the hallway curled in Charlene's arms. She was visibly upset and crying. Charlene comforted and talked to her and convinced her that she needed to go home to get some rest and let us care for him. She still took the patient because she knew this patient was not in his right mind.
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Charlene runs errands for other staff. She functions as a Technician when only one Technician is on the unit. She will look all over the hospital for supplies if we do not have something on the unit. One day we were missing a bedside table. She found one on a floor that was closed and brought it back to the unit until our new one came in and then returned it to its rightful location. This past week we had a very young patient who found out unexpectedly that he has a brain tumor, and this news devastated the mother. She fell apart in the room, and Charlene embraced her, took the mother into the break room, and held her while she broke down. The mother told me what an angel Charlene was and how she was there for her on one of her worst days, and she started crying again. Later in their stay, the patient asked for an egg crate, which is not something we usually carry on the unit. Before I could call around and see where we could get one, Charlene showed up on the unit with an egg crate that she "found." The patient cried when she put it on the bed, because he said it was so comfortable. She buys food and other items with her own money for the patients when needed. Of course, she does not tell anybody about this, so it's not like she does it for glory. She does it because she has a passion for people and a heart full of gold. Sometimes we have Spanish-speaking patients, and she always interprets for them. She is fluent in Spanish and is such a great resource when needed. Not a day goes by that I do not see her helping someone. She is a great teacher, fair, and non-judgemental. She is very good with patients and families. She listens to both sides but is non-confrontational about it.
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Charlene Usry called me Thursday to brainstorm and ask for help with positioning for one of the patients. Charlene expressed some concerns about the patient aspirating because she kept sliding down in bed and wondered if we had anything to offer. We learned she is usually up in a stroller or wheelchair at home and that the wheelchair is old. The mother was going to bring both the stroller and wheelchair to the hospital. We had an order written for PT, and Peds is going to work with mom on doing a new wheelchair seating/fitting assessment since the existing one is over five years old, and they're going to work on stroller positioning while in the hospital to hopefully help with the aspiration. I appreciate Charlene thinking outside the box and reaching out to us for help. Hopefully, utilizing the patient's home equipment will minimize the aspiration risk, and we can get her some newer equipment in the process.
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An employee hurt her back at work. Charlene helped her get to the ED, and not only did she continue to check on her, but also helped get her back home since she could not drive. She and another Nurse drove her and her car home. This put her late getting home, but she wanted to make sure the co-worker got home safely and had her car.
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We have a patient who has been here for 15 days, is homeless and has no one to take care of him. He is waiting for placement. On day nine, he still had some of the same clothes on that he had brought with him. Charlene went through her husband's closet, found some t-shirts and sweatpants, and brought them to the patient. Today, the patient wanted to see the sunshine. So she pushed him outside in the wheelchair to get some fresh air. When I came to work, I saw Charlene with a huge bag on her back and a bag of snacks. I asked her where she was going, and she told me the room number she was going to, and it was our patient that has been here for an extended amount of time. She had taken his clothes home, washed them, and brought them back. She also purchased some snacks that he liked and took them to him as well. As you can see, there is not one special story. There are many that speak to Charlene's kind and generous side.