Gretchen Whisnant
February 2019
Gretchen
Whisnant
,
RN
Telemetry
Carolinas Healthcare System Blue Ridge
Morganton
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

Gretchen was taking care of a patient who is going through a very difficult time with her health, requiring multiple hospitalizations this year. During her most recent admission and health crisis, she lost her son and on the very day he was buried (and she was unable to attend the funeral due to her hospitalization), her grandchild was also born here. Gretchen could see how heavy these burdens weighed on the patient. At the end of her shift after giving report, Gretchen took her patient down to the Family Center to be able to spend time with her new grandchild. I believe Gretchen showed the true heart of nursing and demonstrated compassion above and beyond the expected in this act of selflessness. We all know how exhausted our nurses are after 12 hours on the floor. Yet she put her own patient's needs and feelings above her own.