Jessica had received sign-out on a patient that was waiting in the emergency department for a bed. The patient had a fully completed ED workup and disposition and had been admitted for suspicion of endocarditis. Physician sign-out had also occurred, and I was the new attending physician, resulting in both nursing and physician staff being new for the patient as she was waiting for her bed upstairs.
Our pod was also filled with several new patients, on which I was focusing. Jessica was great about re-evaluating this patient frequently and consistently. About ten minutes after last known well, she was speaking with the patient and noticed slurred speech. She did a thorough examination and realized that the patient was presenting with new stroke symptoms.
Jessica promptly called me to the bedside and called a stroke alert. The patient was a true left MCA stroke on diagnostic imaging, and though not a TPA candidate, was transferred in a timely manner for neuro-intervention. If it had not been for Jessica's thorough re-examinations and kind care, she would not have spotted the distinctive changes in the patient's behavior and examination. She communicated with me very clearly and in a timely manner so that we could mobilize our stroke resources. She was at the bedside consistently as additional emotional support for the patient. She was a great team player, bringing the whole team around the patient for the best care possible.
It was a pleasure working with Jessica and I feel very trusting and appreciative of her efforts and clinical acumen. She's the type of nurse that I would hope to be at bedside for a close family member or friend.