Katie Stengel
April 2021
Katherine
Stengel
,
RN
Neuro Critical Care/ NEURO ICU
Methodist University Hospital
Katie also took the time to talk to me when I would call for updates every 3 hours, never made me feel like a nuisance.
The hardest part of having a loved one in the hospital during this COVID pandemic is not being able to see them or be with them. The only thing that makes it bearable is having caring nurses who understand that struggle and go out of their way to make it easier for you (and your loved one).
My father fell off of a ladder onto his head while cleaning out the gutters at his home, and had to be airlifted to Methodist University and placed on life support. His hospital stay lasted for five weeks, with the first three being on the neuro ICU floor. Due to COVID, the hospital was not allowing visitors except for surgical patients and near-death circumstances.
During most of the time that he was on the neuro ICU floor, my dad did not know what world he was in. He did not have the mental faculties to use a phone or iPad to communicate with us. The only way we could see him and talk to him was by FaceTime or hospital Zoom conferences. Using the hospital Zoom conference system was very helpful, but the meetings only lasted thirty minutes and were pre-scheduled, so sometimes we could only watch my dad sleep for thirty minutes. Katie was considerate and caring enough to use her personal cell phone to FaceTime my phone (on several occasions lasting for more than an hour) so my dad could see my mother, my two sisters, and myself when he was awake and alert. As a nurse practitioner, I understand the value of privacy (especially with a cell phone number), so Katie's selfless act of giving out hers seems like a great sacrifice to me. I also believe that the time we were able to spend video-chatting with him was beneficial to his mental status and that he would not have begun healing as quickly as he did without the mental stimulation we were able to provide by talking to him for such long periods of time and him being able to see our faces.
In addition to setting up her personal cell phone for my dad to use during FaceTime, Katie also took the time to talk to me when I would call for updates every 3 hours, never made me feel like a nuisance, and would send me text message updates if something else happened throughout her shifts (like new orders, lab results, etc.). She cared for my dad like a family member and not just another patient, and she treated me and my family the same way.
I feel like I cannot say enough good things about Katie and the care she provided while my dad was on her floor. As a nurse practitioner in a family of healthcare professionals (dad is a pharmacist, younger sister is a physical therapist, and youngest sister is a nurse in nurse practitioner school), I want to stress what an asset she is to Methodist University. She saved my sanity during those first three weeks of his brain injury and helped to set my dad squarely on the path to recovery.
My father fell off of a ladder onto his head while cleaning out the gutters at his home, and had to be airlifted to Methodist University and placed on life support. His hospital stay lasted for five weeks, with the first three being on the neuro ICU floor. Due to COVID, the hospital was not allowing visitors except for surgical patients and near-death circumstances.
During most of the time that he was on the neuro ICU floor, my dad did not know what world he was in. He did not have the mental faculties to use a phone or iPad to communicate with us. The only way we could see him and talk to him was by FaceTime or hospital Zoom conferences. Using the hospital Zoom conference system was very helpful, but the meetings only lasted thirty minutes and were pre-scheduled, so sometimes we could only watch my dad sleep for thirty minutes. Katie was considerate and caring enough to use her personal cell phone to FaceTime my phone (on several occasions lasting for more than an hour) so my dad could see my mother, my two sisters, and myself when he was awake and alert. As a nurse practitioner, I understand the value of privacy (especially with a cell phone number), so Katie's selfless act of giving out hers seems like a great sacrifice to me. I also believe that the time we were able to spend video-chatting with him was beneficial to his mental status and that he would not have begun healing as quickly as he did without the mental stimulation we were able to provide by talking to him for such long periods of time and him being able to see our faces.
In addition to setting up her personal cell phone for my dad to use during FaceTime, Katie also took the time to talk to me when I would call for updates every 3 hours, never made me feel like a nuisance, and would send me text message updates if something else happened throughout her shifts (like new orders, lab results, etc.). She cared for my dad like a family member and not just another patient, and she treated me and my family the same way.
I feel like I cannot say enough good things about Katie and the care she provided while my dad was on her floor. As a nurse practitioner in a family of healthcare professionals (dad is a pharmacist, younger sister is a physical therapist, and youngest sister is a nurse in nurse practitioner school), I want to stress what an asset she is to Methodist University. She saved my sanity during those first three weeks of his brain injury and helped to set my dad squarely on the path to recovery.