Julie Hardy
March 2023
Julie
Hardy
,
ADN, RN
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Mississippi Baptist Medical Center
Jackson
,
MS
United States
She came back to work, but the patient remained in the hospital for about a week, and every day Julie would go to the hospital and check on him.
I work with Julie at OPCR in Jackson, MS. I have worked at other facilities with nurses for years and they have all been wonderful, but Julie is that Extraordinary Nurse who goes above and beyond for her patients. I can give you two examples in the last 9 months I've worked alongside her where I have been impressed and completely in awe.
We had a patient come in to exercise and we could tell he had gained weight since his last session the previous week. The patient got on the scale and gained about 10 pounds in a week. She quickly assessed him and put him in a wheelchair and took him to the emergency room. She came back to work, but the patient remained in the hospital for about a week, and every day she would go to the hospital and check on him. When the patient was discharged home, she followed up with him to ensure he was still doing better and continued to check until he was back and able to exercise at OPCR.
Another example is when a patient arrived ready to exercise and was put on the heart rate monitor. As soon as the patient was hooked up to the monitor Julie could tell something was off about the rhythm. She wouldn't let her exercise and told her to sit still and provided the patient with water. The patient was sitting down, sipping water, and Julie was monitoring her heart rhythm and rate. Not five minutes later, Julie could tell it was not getting better and rushed her to the ER in a wheelchair. Julie quickly returned and printed off the EKG strips so they could be presented to the ER doctor when the patient was cared for. Throughout the day she would go back and check on the patient, and when the patient was discharged home, she made her way to OPCR to thank Julie for everything and for printing off the EKG strips.
These actions might seem "tiny" or not exactly "life-saving" but I can guarantee she saved both of these patients lives. The first patient had so much fluid he was in the hospital for a week and finally was able to get his fluid under control and his kidneys functioning properly. The second patient needed a monitor put on to monitor her heart because she had been having dizzy spells and feeling nauseous. Yes, it is her job to care for patients, but she goes the extra mile by checking on them, and providing EKG strips to the healthcare team to provide each patient with the highest level of care. I hope that a quarter of the care and compassion she shows daily is in every healthcare worker.
We had a patient come in to exercise and we could tell he had gained weight since his last session the previous week. The patient got on the scale and gained about 10 pounds in a week. She quickly assessed him and put him in a wheelchair and took him to the emergency room. She came back to work, but the patient remained in the hospital for about a week, and every day she would go to the hospital and check on him. When the patient was discharged home, she followed up with him to ensure he was still doing better and continued to check until he was back and able to exercise at OPCR.
Another example is when a patient arrived ready to exercise and was put on the heart rate monitor. As soon as the patient was hooked up to the monitor Julie could tell something was off about the rhythm. She wouldn't let her exercise and told her to sit still and provided the patient with water. The patient was sitting down, sipping water, and Julie was monitoring her heart rhythm and rate. Not five minutes later, Julie could tell it was not getting better and rushed her to the ER in a wheelchair. Julie quickly returned and printed off the EKG strips so they could be presented to the ER doctor when the patient was cared for. Throughout the day she would go back and check on the patient, and when the patient was discharged home, she made her way to OPCR to thank Julie for everything and for printing off the EKG strips.
These actions might seem "tiny" or not exactly "life-saving" but I can guarantee she saved both of these patients lives. The first patient had so much fluid he was in the hospital for a week and finally was able to get his fluid under control and his kidneys functioning properly. The second patient needed a monitor put on to monitor her heart because she had been having dizzy spells and feeling nauseous. Yes, it is her job to care for patients, but she goes the extra mile by checking on them, and providing EKG strips to the healthcare team to provide each patient with the highest level of care. I hope that a quarter of the care and compassion she shows daily is in every healthcare worker.