Jess Bachman
January 2022
Jessica
Bachman
,
BSN, RN
Interventional Radiology
Lancaster General Hospital, Penn Medicine
Lancaster
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

Despite the hectic nature of all of this, Jess continued to hold the patient's hand and let him know that he had support in the room.
Jess was the primary RN of a very ill COVD patient. The only family we could find of the patient was his Dad, who also was a COVID patient 2 rooms down the hall. The patient had been declining but refusing hospice care. One day it was clear to the patient that he was not going to survive. He told Jess that he was ready to die and she contacted the case manager and MD. However as the patient's body was giving up on him and he was refusing to wear his vapotherm, the question of his capacity to make his own decisions and then who would/could make them in his place came into play. While working to prioritize her patient's comfort and dignity, she also had to get the case manager and MD involved again to determine what should be done. Despite the hectic nature of all of this, Jess continued to hold the patient's hand and let him know that he had support in the room with him even though she was overwhelmed herself. When I asked if she needed a break or was okay she asked me to check on her orientee’s emotional state instead of hers. In a time when people are running from COVID, Jess stayed with the patient for over an hour until his updated meds kicked in and he was comfortable. She played a key role in him being able to peacefully pass that evening.