I have personally observed and have heard the interactions that Jessica has with her patients and family members, along with her peers. Jessica has a way about her that puts the patient and family at ease and provides extra reassurance and emotional support. She takes the extra time to explain things and provides additional resources as needed. Jessica never appears rushed, even on extremely busy days. She always makes sure that the patient is informed and part of their plan of care by involving them in the Bedside Shift Report, keeping the whiteboard up to date and explaining things in a way they can understand it. Often times, the patients ask if she will be back again to take care of them the next day, which speaks volumes to the compassionate care she provides. It doesn't surprise me when her name is mentioned as someone to recognize when doing leadership rounding with patients and even with her peers. Jessica always delivers care with a smile on her face and treats all as if they were her own family members.
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Recently, one of my patients who was diagnosed with bilateral cerebellar and occipital strokes developed symptoms of nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are not unusual for a patient with such a condition, however, Jessica was quite concerned about it and she reported it to me right away.
Shortly thereafter, the patient's medical condition declined and she developed near syncope, a facial droop and appeared to have a recurrent stroke. What was admirable about this situation was that Jessica did not ignore the symptoms. She immediately called a Code Stroke. Unfortunately, this was not announced over the public announcement system, but Jessica did not panic. She did the next thing and contacted me right away and I was able to order a CT scan of the head. What was most admirable about this situation, is that she maintained a cool composure during the entire incident and proceeded quickly with appropriate action.