May 2017
Jennifer
Norris
,
RN
Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Riverside Community Hospital
Riverside
,
CA
United States
There was a couple who were admitted to RCH after being in an accident. The husband was admitted to ICU and the wife was admitted on the 5th floor. The wife had other medical issues and had decided to go home on comfort care due to her terminal cancer. There were plans to send her home on a Morphine drip. The husband required additional hospitalization and was going to be transferred to a Kaiser facility in the area. It was likely that he would not see his wife alive again. When Jennifer Norris, the ICU RN caring for the husband learned of this situation, she proactively contacted the South 5 RN and coordinated efforts to bring this couple together so they could spend time one last time together before the wife passed away. As the team wheeled the wife into the patient's room, the Jennifer made sure there was enough space for both beds to fit side by side, and she allowed the couple privacy so that they could say goodbyes to each other. This RN was filled with compassion and empathy for this couple, making their last moments together very precious. The next morning when I went into the room, the ICU patient told me the whole story about what Jennifer did for him and his wife. He said that people have no idea what nurses really do. He said he will be forever grateful for what Jennifer Norris did for him. He was crying during his story, but he said he will never forget Jennifer for her compassion during the most difficult time of his life.