Recently, Haley Bolton was assigned to the Pediatric Emergency Department. During her shift, a patient arrived under extraordinary circumstances. The child was the sole survivor of a motor vehicle collision that killed both parents and a sibling. The family lived in another state and were traveling through the area when the accident occurred. The child was left without any family locally, or nationally. The only family was on another continent altogether.
Haley went above and beyond for this patient.
This is the note received from Charlottesville DSS:
"I also wanted to recognize Haley, a nurse who was with X in the ED that Thursday. She was unbelievably supportive. At the end of her shift, X was being admitted. She wanted to make sure X had some things that night. She made a list and went to Walmart and came back with items like books and clothing. It was amazing that after a long and busy shift (what I could tell based on the number of people in the waiting area and the hallways) she chose to take time and help him feel more comfortable. This was above and beyond and I really appreciated it and I know this young man did as well. Thank you for what you do."
Haley recognized the maturity of the child exceeded the typical growth and development for the patient's age. She recognized coping skills and she connected with the specific grieving processes acknowledging his need to honor his family through grief. She took the time to follow-up in the next few days to make sure the child had the necessary support to grieve through dates and times the patient expected to participate in family celebrations.
She listened to the patient's heart while attending to his physical needs. She respected his growth and development and didn't diminish him by dumbing down the situation. She also acted when she saw that for the age and stage of a "tween" the needs were unique, and she met those needs when she went to Walmart for the personal items.