I recently witnessed Kristen Hanrahan demonstrate exemplary nursing care during a challenging patient care situation in our Neuro ICU unit.
She was caring for a patient who was unable to advocate for himself due to being critically ill. The patient’s family also had a significant knowledge deficit regarding their loved-one’s diagnosis and future treatment. Kristen did an absolutely outstanding job of advocating for the patient’s best medical and emotional well-being and went above and beyond the standard of care, putting in hours of time educating the family and coordinating conversations between the physicians, social work, and the patient’s family members.
Kristen was perseverant in her mission to guarantee that the patient’s best interests were being cared for day after day. In the end, those people closest to the situation could see how her efforts served the patient’s family by increasing their knowledge of their loved-one’s condition, decreasing their anxiety, and giving them an opportunity to express their true goals of treatment.
By giving of her time and excellent nursing skills, Kristen helped to make a difficult situation less painful for everyone directly involved and she was a tremendous asset to team caring for the needs of a terminally ill patient.