Kristin is excellent because of her skills, compassion, quick-thinking, and many other positive qualities. She developed a bond with a patient and his family over the course of his 5-month long hospital course, and she was there for good times and ultimately the end of his life. He was a very complicated patient with specific needs that would difficult to assess without prior knowledge of his care. She cared for him consistently and was able to pick up on small changes that may have been missed by others. This bond proved to be extremely powerful towards the end of his life.
During the withdrawal of support process on this patient, Kristin remembered what the mother had told her weeks before about her desires to put her son in a stroller and walk him around. Decompensation occurred quickly and whether the parents were not able to remember or did not think it was possible to fulfill this wish, Kristin took it upon herself to facilitate this process. This was above and beyond the call of duty and the parents were so grateful to have a voice for their family when they were not able to. She spent so much time with this patient and parents that she was able to have casual conversations and recall them later to make a very special moment for the family.
Kristin was very transparent with this family and was/is a humble person. She is not afraid to admit what she doesn't know and is willing to learn. She takes the initiative to find information and resources in order to provide education for families. This particular baby had multiple issues, many being not common, and required new education of pathophysiology frequently. She was willing to take on the challenge and be a primary care giver.
During this patient's rapid decline initially, care was excellent when it could have been very chaotic in other settings. Care was timely, complete, and information was accurate. Compassion and humanity were always at the forefront when, at times, it's easy to get task oriented and focus on skills rather than a person. I never felt that Kristin put anything else above the fact that this patient was still a child, someone's baby boy. Later, during the withdrawal process, she stayed with the family the whole time and cried genuine tears of sadness, the family welcomed it as they know she is special. She shared her memories of the patient with the family and embraced them as they said good bye to their precious baby boy. This is a memory those parents will take with them for the rest of their lives and I believe no could have done a better job than Kristin.
During the hospital course Kristin always included family in decision making processes and valued their input. They were able to express concerns and ask questions without judgment. They trusted her with the care of their child when many times it was difficult to not be at the bedside with him.