Jeff
Lewis
May 2011
Jeff
Lewis
,
RN
Emergency Department
Coastal Carolina Hospital
Hardeeville
,
SC
United States
(L-R: Shelly Weilenman, Chief Nursing Officer; Jeff Lewis, RN, DAISY Honoree; the Patient and Angie Garcia, RN, Clinical Lead of the ED at Coastal Carolina Hospital)
A young patient came to the Emergency Room for a visit after she fell and lacerated her chin. She was very anxious and fearful as were her parents and grandparents. Over the course of a few weeks she returned to our ER a total of 7 visits all for lacerations to her chin. Over this course of time she became quite acquainted with our staff and became particularly close to one nurse in general. On an afternoon in October, she came in after she fell and reinjured her same chin laceration. She asked for this particular nurse by name. After several times of informing her that the nurse was not here she continued to press on about when he would be here and became quite tearful and upset that he was not available. Angie Garcia, Clinical Lead in the Emergency Room, phoned Jeff at home to discover he was at home washing his truck. Angie asked that he please come as the child was insistent about his presence. She had established a relationship with Jeff and readily recognized him with each of her visits to the ER. Jeff very willingly obliged and within 20 minutes he appeared in the ER. Jeff stayed with her and held her hand for her CT scan, for her laceration repair and the remainder of her visit. Not only was Jeff a calming presence for Gabrielle but for her parents and grandparents as well.
Jeff’s willingness to put compassion and service above self first left a lasting impression not only on this patient but to all of his peers within the ED. The Emergency Department is sometimes viewed as a gauntlet. Emergency Department nurses are exposed to numerous life and death experiences on a daily basis and although trained to navigate through this gauntlet, these life experiences can sometimes take their emotional toll. Jeff’s calm and compassionate demeanor is contagious not only to his peers but Emergency physicians alike. Jeff’s compassion demonstrated that day is a reminder to all nurses that we work in a very special profession and that it is in the smallest acts of kindness that our patients perceive us.
Jeff, thank you for making such a difference for your patient and her family and for Coastal Carolina Hospital.
A young patient came to the Emergency Room for a visit after she fell and lacerated her chin. She was very anxious and fearful as were her parents and grandparents. Over the course of a few weeks she returned to our ER a total of 7 visits all for lacerations to her chin. Over this course of time she became quite acquainted with our staff and became particularly close to one nurse in general. On an afternoon in October, she came in after she fell and reinjured her same chin laceration. She asked for this particular nurse by name. After several times of informing her that the nurse was not here she continued to press on about when he would be here and became quite tearful and upset that he was not available. Angie Garcia, Clinical Lead in the Emergency Room, phoned Jeff at home to discover he was at home washing his truck. Angie asked that he please come as the child was insistent about his presence. She had established a relationship with Jeff and readily recognized him with each of her visits to the ER. Jeff very willingly obliged and within 20 minutes he appeared in the ER. Jeff stayed with her and held her hand for her CT scan, for her laceration repair and the remainder of her visit. Not only was Jeff a calming presence for Gabrielle but for her parents and grandparents as well.
Jeff’s willingness to put compassion and service above self first left a lasting impression not only on this patient but to all of his peers within the ED. The Emergency Department is sometimes viewed as a gauntlet. Emergency Department nurses are exposed to numerous life and death experiences on a daily basis and although trained to navigate through this gauntlet, these life experiences can sometimes take their emotional toll. Jeff’s calm and compassionate demeanor is contagious not only to his peers but Emergency physicians alike. Jeff’s compassion demonstrated that day is a reminder to all nurses that we work in a very special profession and that it is in the smallest acts of kindness that our patients perceive us.
Jeff, thank you for making such a difference for your patient and her family and for Coastal Carolina Hospital.