My grandfather was seen at the ER with symptoms of a stroke. He is a high-risk patient with a history of afib and diabetes. He had presented to the ER because I noticed via phone that his speech was slurred and he was confused. The ER staff began normal admission assessments, vitals, exploring possible infection, etc.

My parents said it was not until the nursing student came in to assess, suggested stroke, and pushed for testing that it was even discussed. I was not there, so I am not sure of the exact details, but my parents were so grateful that she thought of stroke and spoke up. As a nursing instructor myself, I wanted to share the story with you.

After your student's prompting, a CT was done. He was found to have a stroke recently, but we cannot say it happened that night however, there is a high likelihood. He was transferred to a hospital with a neurologist for further evaluation. Had she not thought critically or had the courage to speak up, it likely would have been missed. He would have been sent home as he had previously sought care the day before and been dismissed.