I’m inspired to write this, not because it is out of the ordinary but because it’s how she treats every patient. Codi is the nurse for a mid-40s patient who also happens to be a CAMC employee. He was sent to our unit after a heart cath and found out he would need CABG. He’s working multiple jobs, going through personal trials at home, and doesn’t seem to have any support system. He was scared and alone, but I saw her connect with him to ease his fears and form a trusting friendship.

She worked with case management to make sure he’d have access to the financial counselors, gave him info on the employee assistance fund, and made sure that he was no longer worried about what would happen while he was off work. She has a senior precepting with her and is teaching her how to be proactive and anticipate patient needs before they become problems. 

His car was still at the General ER lot, and he was worried about what would happen to it while he was inpatient at Memorial. He didn’t have anyone he trusted to give the keys to drive it to our lot, but he trusted her. After her shift, she had her spouse drive her to General, and she personally drove his vehicle to our hospital. This isn’t the first time she’s gone above and beyond to make sure that her patients can worry about their health rather than everyday life’s stresses.

We watched this patient go from refusing CABG due to fear to being scheduled for next week. He could have left AMA on multiple occasions during his stay, but she worked to keep him calm and work through his feelings and problems to make sure he is doing what is best for his health.

She comes to her shift with a smile and a good attitude every day. Her compassion and kindness for every patient is inspirational to me, and I’m proud to be her coworker and friend.