Sometimes, it can be quite challenging for healthcare workers to care for someone day-in and day-out who is consistently verbally abusive, shouts obscenities, screams derogatory names, and tests one's patience and compassion throughout each unprovoked eruption of rage and violence.
Good nurses are typically able to overlook the presentation of patients with altered mental status and aggression, at least for a brief time. A great nurse can compartmentalize observed and experienced bad behaviors, and in their own way, "justify" the hostility and abusive actions to continue caring for them in a nonjudgmental manner for an extended period. However, exceptional nurses, like Hillary Pallesen, BSN, RN, CNII, tend to look for those moments to go beyond what many great nurses would do.
Hillary found some of those moments as she accepted the challenge of caring for M. She took the time to explore the course of M's life. Mind you, M is a patient whom many caregivers have struggled stepping up to care for without prompting, heavy encouragement, and lots of coaxing due to her nasty, mean and hateful attributes. Hillary has gone out of her way to find out the patient's likes and dislikes. She's investigated the patient's current hospitalization and illness which spiraled out of control from a nontraumatic spinal abscess originally, not mental illness as many assumed. As well as, learned of the patient's personal tragedies including the loss of two children, one from an accident and the other suicide. Being who she is, Hillary has used the knowledge that such life stressors can impact healing and may be known to precipitate a patient's current mental state, to help shape care delivery with the challenging M in a positive way and with an open heart.
I watched today, as Hillary scrounged for purple and green paper. When asked, what are you doing and why do you need it? Hillary said, "I'm making purple flowers to put on M's wall. She loves purple, that's why I wore a purple scrub top today." I later happened upon the door of M's room and overheard the interaction between Hillary and M. Hillary stated, "M, I have a surprise for you today." The patient called out in the sweetest voice with no profanity, I might add, "Oh Hillary,are those for me? I love them." Hillary began taping the flowers cut from purple and green construction paper to the wall so that M could see them. M started to cry. When Hillary finished taping the paper flowers on her wall, she went over to M's bedside and gave her a hug. M responded with a kiss to her cheek.
This simple loving, human connection, of using creativity and genuine kindness not only set Hillary and her nursing assistant up for success today, it has helped put M in a better place for healing by improving her compliance with care, even if only for one shift.
Extraordinary, compassionate care is the bases of the DAISY Award, something that Hillary has demonstrated and modeled for all of the nurses today and is a characteristic of her devotion to nursing.