Christina Clay
January 2021
Christina
Clay
,
RN
Labor & Delivery
Med Center Health
Christina has been given a gift to show heart and dedication to make the worst of times a little more special for our momma's who will never take their babies home to a nursery or hear them cry.
As nurses, we come to the hospital to take care of our patients' physical needs but so very often we also take care of their mental and emotional needs. While I believe that every nurse in L&D shows the utmost compassion for their patients, there is one nurse who always goes above and beyond what is expected of her when her patients are experiencing difficult times. Christina Clay is always thinking beyond the standards of care and showing her true heart to her patients and their families. I can name numerous examples such as providing resources/information for families that lack the more fortunate things in life. She acts as a liaison between the parents and NICU staff when a new NICU admit occurs to lessen the fears and anxieties of the new parents.
With all of that being said, there are two instances that demonstrate the heart she has for nursing. One is an incident that occurred several months ago that traumatized both the family and our staff. Christina lovingly and willingly made a fetal demise presentable to the mother and family so that they could remember their precious baby, hold and spend time with their infant. Christina took the time to make that moment possible. She has been given a gift to show heart and dedication to make the worst of times a little more special for our momma's who will never take their babies home to a nursery or hear them cry.
One other instance occurred in the past month. She was a recovery nurse that day and had a patient who was critically ill. During the process of giving this patient excellent care, Christina went the extra mile to make sure the patient's husband was given the care he needed. It was a very scary incident for all those involved and Christina took the time to get the baby from the nursery and bring the baby to the father so that he could see that the baby was ok, while he waited for his wife to come out of surgery. This new father had not slept in over 24 hours. Christina went and found a clean room in L&D for him, got some blankets, and made sure he had somewhere to lay down if needed. She told him, "I know you are tired, and you can go here to lay down or you can stay with your wife. We are providing the best care for her and you don't need to worry, rest." While this husband didn't leave his wife's side you could see the relief on his face that he did have somewhere to go if needed. Once the patient was taken back to surgery she checked on the patient and her husband numerous times.
As you can see both of these instances show the compassionate, loving heart of a nurse that wants what is best for her patients and wants to make their stay special even during challenging circumstances.
With all of that being said, there are two instances that demonstrate the heart she has for nursing. One is an incident that occurred several months ago that traumatized both the family and our staff. Christina lovingly and willingly made a fetal demise presentable to the mother and family so that they could remember their precious baby, hold and spend time with their infant. Christina took the time to make that moment possible. She has been given a gift to show heart and dedication to make the worst of times a little more special for our momma's who will never take their babies home to a nursery or hear them cry.
One other instance occurred in the past month. She was a recovery nurse that day and had a patient who was critically ill. During the process of giving this patient excellent care, Christina went the extra mile to make sure the patient's husband was given the care he needed. It was a very scary incident for all those involved and Christina took the time to get the baby from the nursery and bring the baby to the father so that he could see that the baby was ok, while he waited for his wife to come out of surgery. This new father had not slept in over 24 hours. Christina went and found a clean room in L&D for him, got some blankets, and made sure he had somewhere to lay down if needed. She told him, "I know you are tired, and you can go here to lay down or you can stay with your wife. We are providing the best care for her and you don't need to worry, rest." While this husband didn't leave his wife's side you could see the relief on his face that he did have somewhere to go if needed. Once the patient was taken back to surgery she checked on the patient and her husband numerous times.
As you can see both of these instances show the compassionate, loving heart of a nurse that wants what is best for her patients and wants to make their stay special even during challenging circumstances.