Kathryn is a weekend staff nurse and was with a particular patient all weekend. The patient had been given a poor diagnosis and she and her husband were talking with doctors and palliative care. Palliative care was going to conduct a family meeting on Monday and the husband asked Kathryn to be there. Since Kathryn is a weekend nurse she does not come in on Mondays. But, Kathryn made it a point to call me that morning to see what time the meeting would be taking place so she could be there for them. Kathryn dropped everything when I called her to tell her when the meeting was. She came right up to be with the patient and her husband during the meeting. She sat with them for most of the morning. She helped the husband feel comfortable leaving to get his stuff, so he could stay the night with his wife as she transitioned into comfort care.
In addition, during the time Kathryn was on the unit she came to find me to let me know what had transpired. She found me busy with another patient that I needed help with and jumped right in to help. She definitely went above and beyond.