May 2023
Karlee
Carey
,
BSN, RN
Burn Unit
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Iowa City
,
IA
United States
Whenever she was caring for me, I always knew she had my best interest at heart and would go to bat for me.
I was hospitalized in the middle of the night due to some bad grease burns. As someone who struggles with anxiety, this was very difficult and created a lot of distress for me. However, during my stay, Karlee did such an amazing job at making me feel like a person and not just another patient. She provided me with a safe space to openly talk about my anxiety and guided me toward professional help. This, then, resulted in me finally getting medicated for my anxiety. This has and will continue to impact my life forever. Whenever she was caring for me, I always knew she had my best interest at heart and would go to bat for me. She did so many things that I consider going above and beyond. Some examples include personally putting my creams on to make sure it was as pain-free as possible, educating and offering me burn shakes to promote healing and avoid a feeding tube, and using Pain Ease spray to remove the adhesive from my IV when she saw it irritating my skin. Whenever she was working, she would stop in to check on me even if I wasn’t her patient. The help she gave me is something for which I can never thank her enough.