Jena has expanded her clinical skills immensely since I started working with her. There have been several medical situations where she would think outside the box on ways to improve her patient care and the current situation.
Jena is very compassionate with all of her patients, but there is one particular instance recently where I felt she went above and beyond. Her patient had a history of being combative and was having periods of confusion. She did not want to have to put him back in restraints, so she talked with him about the situation and what he needed to do so the situation would not arise again. Jena had to straight cath the patient because he had urine in his bladder that exceeded the parameters. Jena explained the procedure in very basic terms so that he was able to understand, even with his confusion. The patient did not want it and asked to try and use the bathroom again. They had made several attempts previously without luck. But Jena listened to her patient and his wishes and they attempted another time. That time the patient was successful and was grateful for Jena and the excellent care she provided. He did not want to have to be placed back into restraints and expressed his concerns with being straight cathed.
Jena is an overall joy to have on the unit. She has been attending unit council meetings and various activities to be more involved on the unit and expand her nursing proactively. She is always staying busy on her downtime and answers call lights that are not hers. There have been several times when she has grabbed medications for my patients while I was with another. I greatly appreciate all her help in being willing to put in the extra effort to make sure all the patients on the floor are comfortable. Jena is very attentive to all her patients and their needs. When I overhear her conversations with them, she is able to answer their questions in a way they understand while soothing any worries that they might have. She is very professional and is able to do what is needed to competently provide for her patients. There have been times when I would have difficulty with a patient taking medication and I had her go in and give a fresh face. She was able to have a great conversation with my patient and convince them why it was important for them to take their medication.