December 2023
Holly
Patton
,
BSN, RN
MBU
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo
,
MI
United States
Sometimes, “caring” goes beyond the medical science to focus on the human connection, something Holly offered in spades.
During my 3-night stay at Bronson Methodist Hospital for a scheduled c-section, I had exceptional nursing care from beginning to end. There was one nurse on the Mother baby unit who cared for me for 2 nights, who stood out above the rest; Holly P.
Holly was a patient listener, took my concerns seriously and empathized with me, offered to keep my baby for a few hours at night so I could get some sleep, and even engaged with my family members who visited. While I was only in the hospital a few days, by the time I left I had tears in my eyes knowing I couldn’t take her home with me; she had become a friend.
I could provide many examples of Holly’s compassion, empathy, patience, and kindness – all of which are key trademarks of a DAISY Nurse. However, I’ve chosen to highlight a few that stood out to me the most.
I spent a few days working with the lactation consultants to get my son to latch properly. I received some conflicting information from the lactation consultant and the nursing staff about whether or not I should pump in addition to breastfeeding, and I shared this with Holly the first night that she was my nurse. I truly felt listened to as she coached me through these challenges and made me feel better about pumping since breastfeeding was causing significant pain. Holly even went as far as to share her own experiences with breastfeeding to shed some light on the situation from another perspective, which I found incredibly vulnerable and much appreciated. Sometimes, “caring” goes beyond the medical science to focus on the human connection, something Holly offered in spades.
Because we were struggling with breastfeeding and my son wasn’t eating enough, the nursing staff was concerned about his blood sugar dropping. It got to the point that I was given an ultimatum – start formula or give him a glucose supplement. This was not long before shift change so I spoke to Holly about it when she started her shift and she truly listened to my concerns – both about the formula/glucose decision, as well as my reluctance to continue poking my son to assess blood glucose levels. Holly worked with me to come up with another solution. She encouraged me to drink more fluids, pump every two hours and taught me how to syringe feed him. This allowed us to avoid both options I was previously offered while ensuring my son’s glucose levels remained within normal range. I felt heard, understood, and truly cared for in the way she responded and collaborated with me to come up with another solution.
In addition to working with me on the feeding challenges and glucose struggles, Holly continued to advocate for me to members of the medical care team. On the second day of our stay, the residents rounded at 0600. When I mentioned it to Holly, she asked our providers not to round until 0700 the next day so that we could get some sleep. While this was a small gesture, I appreciated being able to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and her advocating for us during an exhausting and overwhelming time.
The way Holly cared for me, my son, my husband, and even my family was incredible. Knowing her caseload was completely full made it even more special as she had lots of other patients to care for but still made us feel like we were her only priority. She did everything she could to ease our transition into parenthood and ensure we were comfortable during our stay.
I also greatly appreciated how positive she was and how highly she spoke of her colleagues; including those to which she was superior. There was a nurse aide who she raved about and shared how much she appreciated the support they offered. It isn’t very common to hear nurses talk about nurse aides in the way Holly did, which made me realize that Holly isn’t just treating me differently – she treats everyone this way and makes sure all those around her are valued, heard, respected and cared for; patients and colleagues alike.
Many people who provide feedback often feel compelled to do so in response to a negative experience yet I feel strongly that positive feedback is just as important, if not more so, to identify and recognize strong professionals, which is imperative to perpetuating a good patient safety climate, compassionate nursing staff and ensure positive patient outcomes. Kudos, Holly, for all that you did and to Bronson for an incredibly positive nurse staff culture!
Note: This is Holly's 2nd DAISY Award!
Holly was a patient listener, took my concerns seriously and empathized with me, offered to keep my baby for a few hours at night so I could get some sleep, and even engaged with my family members who visited. While I was only in the hospital a few days, by the time I left I had tears in my eyes knowing I couldn’t take her home with me; she had become a friend.
I could provide many examples of Holly’s compassion, empathy, patience, and kindness – all of which are key trademarks of a DAISY Nurse. However, I’ve chosen to highlight a few that stood out to me the most.
I spent a few days working with the lactation consultants to get my son to latch properly. I received some conflicting information from the lactation consultant and the nursing staff about whether or not I should pump in addition to breastfeeding, and I shared this with Holly the first night that she was my nurse. I truly felt listened to as she coached me through these challenges and made me feel better about pumping since breastfeeding was causing significant pain. Holly even went as far as to share her own experiences with breastfeeding to shed some light on the situation from another perspective, which I found incredibly vulnerable and much appreciated. Sometimes, “caring” goes beyond the medical science to focus on the human connection, something Holly offered in spades.
Because we were struggling with breastfeeding and my son wasn’t eating enough, the nursing staff was concerned about his blood sugar dropping. It got to the point that I was given an ultimatum – start formula or give him a glucose supplement. This was not long before shift change so I spoke to Holly about it when she started her shift and she truly listened to my concerns – both about the formula/glucose decision, as well as my reluctance to continue poking my son to assess blood glucose levels. Holly worked with me to come up with another solution. She encouraged me to drink more fluids, pump every two hours and taught me how to syringe feed him. This allowed us to avoid both options I was previously offered while ensuring my son’s glucose levels remained within normal range. I felt heard, understood, and truly cared for in the way she responded and collaborated with me to come up with another solution.
In addition to working with me on the feeding challenges and glucose struggles, Holly continued to advocate for me to members of the medical care team. On the second day of our stay, the residents rounded at 0600. When I mentioned it to Holly, she asked our providers not to round until 0700 the next day so that we could get some sleep. While this was a small gesture, I appreciated being able to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and her advocating for us during an exhausting and overwhelming time.
The way Holly cared for me, my son, my husband, and even my family was incredible. Knowing her caseload was completely full made it even more special as she had lots of other patients to care for but still made us feel like we were her only priority. She did everything she could to ease our transition into parenthood and ensure we were comfortable during our stay.
I also greatly appreciated how positive she was and how highly she spoke of her colleagues; including those to which she was superior. There was a nurse aide who she raved about and shared how much she appreciated the support they offered. It isn’t very common to hear nurses talk about nurse aides in the way Holly did, which made me realize that Holly isn’t just treating me differently – she treats everyone this way and makes sure all those around her are valued, heard, respected and cared for; patients and colleagues alike.
Many people who provide feedback often feel compelled to do so in response to a negative experience yet I feel strongly that positive feedback is just as important, if not more so, to identify and recognize strong professionals, which is imperative to perpetuating a good patient safety climate, compassionate nursing staff and ensure positive patient outcomes. Kudos, Holly, for all that you did and to Bronson for an incredibly positive nurse staff culture!
Note: This is Holly's 2nd DAISY Award!