Jackie Margolis, RN

Jaclyn provided exceptional care for my daughter. Her empathetic approach was not only healing for my daughter, but for me as well.

My daughter developed a fear of the medical team, especially while receiving medications orally. Jaclyn noticed this fear immediately. She jumped into maternal mode and comforted her. She cuddled her, gave her gentle back pats, swaddled her, and provided her with home comforts such as a swing, her personal bottles (she even set up a convenient wash station for us to make it easier to clean bottle and pump parts).

Jaclyn advocated for her during nap times; she encouraged other medical providers to work around her nap schedule to reduce her fear associated with the medical staff. Before Jaclyn was her nurse, she was consistently woken up for nonemergent matters, such as blood pressure cuff readings, which could have been delayed until she woke up.

She would scream and cry at the sight of medical staff due to gushes of medications being slammed in her; she would gag and cough and panic as a result. However, Nurse Jaclyn soothed her-when she gave her medications, she was slow and patient. My daughter would only accept medications from her.

Nurse Jaclyn was conscious of every detail. She would use a sound machine, dim lights, rock her, and provide any type of consoling she needed. Nurse Jaclyn not only cared for my daughter’s physical health, but her mental health as well. She made a sterile hospital environment warm and comforting for her.

Nurse Jaclyn was also thorough-she explained every aspect of her care in detail, and she helped us to navigate this incredibly difficult medical journey. Not only did she provide comfort to my daughter’s physical health, but to me as well. She could sense when I felt overwhelmed; she offered for me to grab a coffee, relax, and take a moment to step away.

When I would cry, she would not only console me, but she empathized with me about how difficult this situation was; she was in tune with my daughter and me. Her level of care and attention to detail should be a standard for all of nursing.

She made our hospital stay at the Duke PCICU better in all aspects, and for that I’m extremely grateful.