Jen was the primary nurse for our mother during her stay at ORMC. Our mom arrived here after experiencing a significant bleed and being discharged from another facility the day before. She had lost 80 percent of the blood in her body. She would spend the next 11 days in the SICU. During that time, Jen was assigned as her nurse on many of the days she was here. We witnessed Jen's impeccable bedside manner and ability to connect with our mom and our family on many levels. We watched her be the voice of our mom when our mom could not represent a voice on her own.
Our mom was a very difficult patient at times experiencing both physical and mental challenges. Jen never once faltered to any of the challenges that came her way, she instead embraced them. In fact, she took ownership of our mom's care by personally transporting her to every procedure and never leaving her side. We watched her transport her to her TIPS procedure and many other tests and staying with our mom even when she did not have to. Our mom was HER patient in every way and even when she was not on duty she would call in or text to check on her. Knowing the urgency of her TIPS procedure, she called repeatedly to Interventional Radiology to escalate her care and ensure the minute the procedure room was ready that she had my mom en route and then waited anxiously until the procedure was over so she could go get her. She became a member of our extended family during the time our mom was here and knew every family member by name, sharing stories with us to help us cope with what was really happening. She connected with our dad who was staying here each night, always making sure he had what he needed too, always providing comfort during many difficult moments.
She exemplified what ORMC is about and what a Magnet Hospital is about, patients and families first. Being the voice of the patient when they cannot provide a voice of their own. Providing care to all she came in contact with and guiding us every step of the way through both good and bad times. We will forever be grateful for the care she provided our mom and the impact she has had on us and also her impact on representing our organization and the nursing profession in such a positive way. She is a Beacon of Hope for her patients and an Ambassador for the nursing profession exemplifying compassionate and dedicated care to every patient every time. Thank you, Jen, for seeing our mom and us through her final days and for being her advocate and patient care champion.