July 2019
Constance
Thorne
,
RN, CCRN
Critical Care Unit
Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center
Mechanicsville
,
VA
United States
In July after a long and complicated illness, a family made the very painful decision to withdraw care. But before they could come to this conclusion, a CT of the brain had to be performed. Connie had to coordinate time, travel and staff to get to radiology. The patient was on many lifesaving IV medications and very complicated machines. A 15 minute test required 6 people and 55 minutes to complete. The results were very grave. Connie was with the family when they decided to withdraw care and allow the patient to die peacefully. Connie explained each part of the procedure. She patiently answered each and every question every family member asked. She stayed over her shift for 2 hours to provide comfort for this family. Both the physical care and the emotional support Connie provided demonstrates Bon Secours core values of respect and compassion at the highest level.