I wanted to pass along how impressed I am with Jill Mast. She works with a lot of the residents in our psychopharmacology clinics and is incredibly well regarded by all of us due to her excellent patient care and teamwork skills.
Jill did something amazing last November. She realized that a patient with dark skin had jaundice by picking up on the yellowing in her conjunctivae. As you know, it is very difficult to assess jaundice in someone with dark skin, and both Dr. C and I didn't notice the yellowing of her eyes. We ended up checking labs and sending the patient to the ER due to extremely high levels of bilirubin, and that patient was admitted emergently and ultimately diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. She is now undergoing chemotherapy and there is some talk of surgery as well. This patient has schizophrenia and NEVER goes to the doctor. She seldomly comes to see her psychiatrist. If Jill had not caught this, the patient almost certainly would have succumbed to her cancer very soon due to a delayed diagnosis. Because Jill caught it, she has a fighting chance and will definitely have a longer life regardless of the outcome of her treatment.
I've come to realize after nearly 3 years of residency that it is rare that we are able to change the trajectory of a patient's life dramatically -- usually we are trying to slightly adjust their course toward a better outcome. This is why what Jill did is even more impressive to me. Jill Mast is an outstanding nurse and we are very lucky to have her work with us.