October 2019
Kristen
Dukette
,
RN
Pediatrics
The University of Vermont Medical Center
Burlington
,
VT
United States
Kristen's careful assessment of not just our daughter’s needs but our family’s made the night just as easy as the day.
Kristen is immediately engaged in her task of caring for her patient. As the overnight nurse, she distinguished herself by being knowledgeable about our daughter’s condition and interested in her progress and life. When your child is in the hospital, any new transition or change creates anxiety. Perhaps the most nerve-wracking is the change in shift between the day and night nurses. Our daughter’s first night at UVMMC was going to be her most challenging as she passed her shigella and rehydrated. It was hard to say goodbye to the day nurse but when she introduced us to Kristen, we were comforted by her focus and her attention. Throughout the evening, her careful assessment of not just our daughter’s needs but our family’s made the night just as easy as the day. In fact, had I not been so tired myself, I would have sworn she was a day time nurse; she was naturally awake and attuned to our needs even though we were groggy and even asleep at times. As she shepherded us through the night of our daughter’s illness, I just kept feeling a deep sense of gratitude that we had a nurse as capable and caring as Kristen. I felt she truly cared for our daughter and her well-being.