Jaissie is an invaluable team member that truly embodies compassionate, family-centered care. I was privileged to be a part of her care delivery during a challenging patient's procedure. I have copied her story in her own words as she tells it best and truly is humble and gracious to the team that she serves. We a fortunate to have her in our operating room. The email reads:
We had a patient with autism and severe anxiety needing to have general anesthesia for her eye surgery. One of our anesthesia providers was one of the first to see her and as soon as he did his assessment he came back to the OR and requested that the patient's mother come back to the OR with us due to the patient's history and anxiety level.
Her pre-op nurse did such an amazing job getting her ready and was able to get approval to have both of the sisters in the pre-op room as well. I was able to witness her putting in the IV and it was so nice to see how she had already developed a relationship of trust with the patient and her family. When we got the all clear we proceeded back to the operating room with the patient and mom by her side. We were able to prepare the mom with what to expect. Our scrub nurse was kind enough in agreeing to not open the sterile supplies and instruments until the patient was asleep so that the patient's mother could be by her side while going to sleep without having to put on a mask and possibly causing more anxiety. The mother was obviously nervous and our scrub nurse went above and beyond with her kind gestures and words in comforting her and reassuring her that we would take great care of her daughter. The anesthesia and surgery went very well. After the case, Dr. H went out of his way and met us in PACU with the patient's mother. They were able to extubate the patient deep without a problem in the OR and she was able to wake up with her mom by her side in PACU.
When in PACU, the patient requested a specific person to be her nurse. This nurse was able to take her in Phase 2 and get her ready to go home (continuity of care at its finest!
The point of this long email is to recognize what an exceptional job we did for a family today. I know in my heart that the mother of that patient will forever be grateful to all of us for the way we treated her and her family. I was so incredibly proud to be a part of this team. I couldn't tell you how many times the mother not only thanked me but everyone around her. She told me she had been worried the most about her daughter going back by herself so she was so very thankful to have been given the opportunity to come back with us and also be by her side as she woke up in PACU. It's so easy to go through the motions and forget why we do what we do.
Today I was reminded of how blessed I am to work alongside some incredibly talented and most of all kind and compassionate people. #ParklandProud