Chris has this contagious positive attitude and passion that makes her such an extraordinary nurse. She has shared often that she believes her role as a nurse is a calling to serve others in need. Chris has reflected on her own challenges in life and how she has drawn on these to become the best person and nurse she can be. Not only is her attitude commendable, but her focus to give thorough quality care is very important to her. She provides teaching at the time of discharge. She has spent time with families as loved ones have passed and provided needed information and kind, gentle support.
Chris is that nurse that enjoys the face to face time with her patients. She is a team player and shows compassion not only to the patients she serves but to her colleagues as well. Chris continues to learn and support whatever needs there are on the Med/Surg Unit, from working when the unit is short to filling in for vacant positions. Chris saw a patient roll up to the secretary desk for an admission and the patient did not look well. She immediately walked to the desk and with great concern and compassion, greeted him gently and took him immediately down to his room. She expected his time may be limited and she wanted to support him and his family in whatever way possible. This patient was not assigned to her, but she responded as an extraordinary nurse does.
Chris also gave amazing care to a passing patient in Med/Surg. The family of the patient was deeply moved by the time and compassion that was given to their loved one and to their family. They stated they had not experienced such wonderful care ever before. The interesting thing is, this is Chris everyday with every patient. She believes in nursing and shows those in her care; it is her passion and purpose. I can't think of a better definition of an extraordinary nurse than Chris.
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My dadwas hospitalized and he arrived with pneumonia. There was a blizzard on this day. She was kind and gentle with my dad and tried her best to make him comfortable. He had terrible bed sores and she would treat them and try to reposition him. Even though I don't think he knew what was going on, she would still talk to him, call him by name, and explain what she was doing.
Chris was upfront with us and let us know what we would be seeing and what to look for in my dad's final days. This was all new to me. When I arrived, I had no idea that he would be dying this soon. I thought this could go on for days or months. She was very compassionate and willing to openly answer all of our questions. She just seemed to make it easy to deal with and was able to tell us that it would be very soon that he would die. I had tears and was sad, but her presence and demeanor kept me calm and prevented me and my family from breaking down. She made us feel very comfortable and did not seemed bothered by our questions.
It seemed to be a busy day at the hospital, with multiple car crash victims coming in. When Chris had to go to the ER area, she would let us know where she was going. She kept asking us if we needed anything. We all live in Webster City, so we were able to run home if needed. When it got to be late afternoon, she asked us if we wanted to order dinner with her and the other workers in that area. We said we would think about it. She checked back in with us a few times to see if we were taken care of. We ended up getting ourselves something because we had to run home for other things. Chris was off duty for about 3 hours when my dad passed. The other nurses that were there were also kind and helpful. That would be a tough job to be with someone as their family member was dying. My mom and I were alone in the room with him when he died. I alerted the nurse and she promptly came in and did what she needed to do while expressing her condolences. Thank you Chris for all your kindness!