I wanted to take the time to highlight an outstanding nurse we have on our unit, QET6. Being a nurse myself, I was so moved by her actions for her love and compassion for her patients. It is really inspiring and I hope this can inspire others. Geena is a superstar on our unit. She hit the ground running when she started here a few years ago. She is living the Queen Emma Way.

Geena was the nurse of a patient who was probably having the worst time of his life. His wife, got admitted to the neuro ICU and he was not able to take care of himself at home. His sister found him confused and took him to the ER. Luckily, Geena was his nurse. She optimized his health, and he was ready for discharge in a few days. One day, I saw Geena walk in with a birthday balloon. She told me she bought it for her patient’s birthday. On discharge day, she called me with concern. Her patient was to be discharged but she worried he would be readmitted. She also recognized his elderly sister was not ready to handle his care that day and alerted CM, SW, his doctors, and myself. She really spoke up for him and advocated that if he goes home now, he or his sister may be admitted next. We had a multidisciplinary emergency meeting to assess the situation and Geena was right. The sister was frantic, scared, and worried about her health as well. We all spoke for over an hour to educate her and ease her fears. By the end, she was calmer and more confident she would care for him appropriately. SW/CM coordinated outpatient resources and Geena said she works tomorrow and it would be her mission to discharge them appropriately. The patient and his sister were very grateful and both wanted to tell me in tears that Geena is amazing.

The next day came and I wanted to round on them before they went home. It was a new feeling in the room. I saw Geena sitting down with them going over every detail with them. She coordinated with pharmacy for a medication organizer to help them and went over all the supportive care they will receive. I popped my head in, and the sister was smiling and ready for the challenge. But, Geena was not done. She wanted to help her patient more. She coordinated with me, neuro ICU, and their manager for her patient to see his wife in the ICU before discharge. His elderly sister did not drive and it would be very unlikely that he would be able to visit any time soon. His wife was very sick and Geena coordinated all of this. This was all while carrying a full load of tele patients. Even writing this, I’m feeling so proud of the nurse she is.