Recently, we had a patient arrive that was exhibiting signs of a stroke. We gave the patient TPA, but we did not have a successful outcome in the ED. The patient's son was at his bedside and asked if he should bring his mother up to sit with his father. We told the son that it was probably best if he did, even though his mother was not doing well. At this point, he expressed concern about his mother's ability to handle the situation since his father was his mother's primary caregiver. When the wife was sitting at the bedside she immediately stated that she wished to have a rabbi present for her husband's last few hours, but the family did not know of a rabbi who would be available to come.
Heather, who was charge nurse in the ED that day, was notified of the situation. She began to contact the chaplain department to see if they knew of a rabbi. The on-call chaplain stated they did not know of a rabbi. Heather embraced this challenge by calling a Jewish friend to see if the friend knew of a rabbi. The friend responded by asking what kind of rabbi. Heather then asked the family what type of rabbi they would like and the family stated they did not have a preference. Heather was able to find the phone number for the non-denominational synagogue. She contacted the synagogue and was able to get the contact information for their on-call rabbi. Heather spoke with the rabbi and explained the dire situation the patient was in and that the family was requesting a rabbi's presence to help ease their pain.
The rabbi arrived and was able to help comfort the family in their time of need. Heather's quick thinking and ability to problem solve showed her focus on meeting her patient's needs as well as the patient's family's needs in their time of distress. By thinking outside the box, she showcased her flexibility and her proactive leadership to her staff.