Karen Cole has been a true comfort and joy for me during my transition from the ICU to step down after my open-heart surgery. She quickly developed a rapport with me and impressed me with her knowledge and attentive nature. Karen was the charge nurse as well as my nurse on the first night on the floor. She never made me feel that she was too rushed or busy to provide excellent care for me.
On my second night, Karen was not my nurse but she was the charge nurse. There was blood ordered late at night and I was not informed of this until 3 am when they walked in to give it to me. I was not understanding why I was getting blood and I needed to be reassured. She took the time to look over my chart and notes to understand why. She came to my room and explained it thoroughly. It reassured me and allowed me to stay informed on what is happening to me. I like to have an active role in the management of my health and Karen was very good at communicating and educating me on what the doctors are doing and why.
Karen is also great in many other ways. She is cheerful and easy to talk to. She is compassionate and not defensive. She is confident in her skills and not threatened when I ask questions about why. She was a joy to have as a nurse. I wanted to make sure she knows how much we appreciated her and her supervisors to know how she is an asset to your nursing staff.