We recently had a patient in the clinic who was a primary Spanish speaker. She spoke just enough English to get by, and therefore had been seen in our clinic multiple times without the use of an interpreter. Ms. Casteel screened her and decided that it would be best to use an interpreter because she sensed that the patient had more to say. She spent the time to get the interpreter on the line and took about double the normal amount of time to screen the patient.

We ultimately discovered that even though the patient had been referred for a colonoscopy and several other tests at previous visits, she had not successfully scheduled them due to the language barrier. She also opened up about rather significant anxiety and depression that stemmed from a variety of psychosocial stressors, including discrimination at work. Spending the time to use an interpreter at a visit like this is inconvenient. It takes a long time and is easy to avoid. Ms. Casteel was committed to making sure that this patient was well taken care of.

When the visit was over, we ensured she had a follow-up scheduled, which was booked by Ms. Casteel herself, and Ms. Casteel personally escorted her to our surgery clinic to ensure that she was scheduled for a colonoscopy consult visit. All told the patient was probably in our exam room for more than an hour even though it was scheduled as a 30-minute appointment. There is no doubt that Ms. Casteel went above and beyond what would be expected of even an excellent clinic nurse, and made a difference in this patient’s life.