May 2017
Eileen
Weinmann
,
RN, CPN
Unit 9C Hematology/Oncology
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States
We had an 18-year-old patient who was seen in the Hem/Onc Clinic. In addition to his diagnosis of cancer, this young man suffers from severe mental retardation and is non-verbal. He only communicates through hand signals and has limited understanding. This patient is known to have violent outbursts when antagonized, and he decided he was not going to leave the clinic room in which he was being seen. When I was made aware of the situation from his nurse, Eileen, they had already spent hours attempting to coax this young man out of the clinic room. My understanding is that the staff had developed some very creative ways to try and get him out of the room. They had covered the door with sheets, as the mother had stated he is sometimes afraid to walk through doors, they had gotten balloons in an attempt to have him follow them, and they had even tried to offer tongue depressors (as he has a fondness for them), all to no avail. When Eileen called me it was towards the end of shift. She never uttered the words "we are closing up and my shift is done", but rather stated that she "wanted to stay as long as needed, because I'm here for the mom, the patient, and his sister for as long as it takes". Her concerns were for the patient's safety and overall well-being, in addition to the emotional toll this was taking on the poor mother. Eileen's dedication to kindness, compassion, and empathy for this family is just another example of exceeded expectations.