Kristen Reilly
March 2020
Kristen
Reilly
,
BSN, RN, CMSRN
Surgical Unit
Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital
West Chester
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

It is well known how busy the hospital has been and that often leads to the nurses feeling as if they can't truly spend the time with a patient that they deserve. Kristen is an amazing nurse and a wonderful educator and this was clearly seen this one particular day. Kristen had a patient who was admitted with multiple comorbidities and had many physician consults following her. As they were attempting to advance her stay in hopes of getting her home her NGT was removed and shortly after she was screaming in pain. This episode did not last long but Kristen had been taking care of this patient and knew that this was not a normal response for her so something must be wrong. She sprang into action and notified her physicians to get them back to the bedside to evaluate the patient where they decided to send her for an x-ray. Kristen spent the time educating her patient on the necessity of this test but as she was feeling much better and spending time with her family she said she didn't think she needed to go for it anymore. Kristen spoke with her again, reexplaining that it was the right thing to do and sent her on her way. On the way back from the x-ray, her patient went unresponsive in the elevator and was taken to the ER. When Kristen found out what had happened she handed off her patients on the unit and went down to the ER to see what she could help with. It was almost the end of her shift but she couldn't leave. She continued to stay in the ER and stayed with her patient's husband as he came back in, she provided emotional support to him as he decided to end the efforts to save his wife's life. I tell Kristen all the time how she is a wonderful nurse and how lucky her patients and their families are to have her on their side. She deserves to be recognized for all of her efforts in taking care of and educating her patients as well as her staying well past the end of her shift to support her patient's husband during this most difficult time.