We recently had a patient on the unit pass away unexpectedly. He was alert and interacting with staff in the morning, and by the afternoon had become unresponsive and lost his pulse, because he had expressed his desire to be DNAR no heroic efforts were taken, and the patient expired. The nurse that was assigned to the patient that day also had a student nurse working with her who was completing his senior practicum on PCU. This patient was the first time that he had experienced a patient death.

Donnett immediately recognized the potential trauma that a first-patient death can have on a nurse, and she wanted to make sure the student felt supported and had the opportunity to talk through any feelings he might be having about what happened. First Donnett spoke with the student privately and assured him that it was okay if he was having feelings of being upset as that is what we should experience when a person dies. She also wanted to make sure that he knew about the resources that we have available to staff, and students, when situations like this arise. He was interested in speaking with the chaplain and Donnett made it happen. The chaplain was further able to support the student as he processed this experience.

It is so often in healthcare that we glaze over some of the important events that occur during our shift because we are too busy, or we have too many other patients to take care of. I think that the way Donnett reached out to this student and really talked to him about what he was going through will help him be able to better cope with that kind of situation in the future. Hopefully, she taught him that it is okay, to not be okay, and that it is important for us to recognize that as healthcare providers because if we don't then we are doing a disservice to ourselves and our patients.

Note: This is Donnett's 2nd DAISY Award!