An inpatient was transferred to UCU to await a critical surgery. The patient was scared and anxious from dealing with a new and life-altering diagnosis.

While walking past his room, Darcy heard him crying and saw that he was in pain. He was sobbing, stating he was going to die and was hurt all over. After calling the pre-op nurse to report the problem, Darcy turned all her attention to the patient. She assessed his pain concerns and sat with him, holding his hand and consoling him.

Although a GI patient, he continued to complain that his arm was on fire. She noticed his arm was swollen, hot, and very red, and he continued to rub it. After assessing the patient's other IV sites (he had three in total), she found that one was infiltrated. When she flushed the final IV, it leaked. She immediately paused the infusion and checked the most recent labs to find that his K+ was WDL.

Along with the pre-operative nurse, Darcy arranged for new IVs to be inserted via ultrasound, and she advocated vigorously for the patient’s fluid orders to be re-assessed by the surgeon and anesthesiologist. New orders were entered, including discontinuation of the infusion, and pain medications were administered. Finally, she helped change the patient, who had sweated through his gown.

She stayed with him until he left for surgery, and he was sleeping and calm. His daughter later called the pre-op nurse to thank her for caring for her father and making him comfortable for the first time all day.

Darcy was not the assigned nurse for this patient. She could have just passed the information to her co-worker and moved on, but instead, she went out of her way to take care of a hurting and scared patient, making him comfortable and hopeful during a very stressful time.