March 2023
Laura
Wedel
,
RN, MSN, RNC-OB
Labor and Delivery/ Women's Services
Bayhealth Medical Center
Dover
,
DE
United States
Laura knew that this patient had the best chance of seeing her baby by staying on the L&D floor and she made it her mission to get the patient stable enough to see her baby. She cared for this patient for three days in a row and fought every day to get her patient the care, and attention she deserved.
At Bayhealth, we have five core values:
Compassion: We are kind and caring to everyone we encounter.
Accountability: Each of us is responsible for our words, our actions, and our results.
Respect: We value everyone and treat people with dignity and professionalism.
Integrity: We build trust through responsible actions and honest relationships.
Teamwork: We achieve more when we collaborate and all work together.
During every shift she has, Laura shows all of Bayhealth’s core values, but specifically in the situation below, she showed Compassion, Respect, and Integrity. Laura comes to work every day with a smile and an open heart. She never complains and does whatever she can to help her patients and her coworkers. She gives each of her patients every part of herself and her huge heart makes her loved by many. She advocates to give her patients the care they deserve and inspires her coworkers to be the best they can be through her example. When she was my preceptor I saw her compassion and determination through the care we provided to our patients. She taught me so much about the core values but specifically; Compassion, Respect, and Integrity. Now as an L&D nurse and her coworker, I see so much more of how she is willing to give herself professionally to each of her patients, no matter who they are or where they come from. She never asks for anything in return and believes that her purpose is to help her patients in any way that she can as well as being an amazing wife and mother. She inspires me to be a better nurse and a better person for my patients. Every patient that Laura has is lucky to have her; however, the patient I describe below stands out amongst the rest.
There are many stories I could share where Laura has made a meaningful difference in her patient’s care, but specifically, this situation and patient stand out to me above the rest.
Recently, a patient on our floor came to the hospital with symptoms that could be blamed on her pregnancy and other common pregnancy-related discomforts. Sadly after giving birth, the patient was told that she has stage 4 breast cancer. Although she had already given birth to her baby, she stayed on the L&D floor postpartum while her baby was in the NICU. Other nurses questioned why she was still on our floor since she had so much medically going on and they felt her case was too overwhelming. Laura was given this patient due to her background in oncology and over 17 years of nursing experience. However, she never questioned why the patient was still on our floor. Laura knew that this patient had the best chance of seeing her baby by staying on the L&D floor and she made it her mission to get the patient stable enough to see her baby. She cared for this patient for three days in a row and fought every day to get her patient the care, and attention she deserved. The patient was in so much pain that she could barely move and Laura pushed to get her a PCA pump and get her pain under control. She set up multiple consults for this patient including arranging a Thoracentesis to be done at the bedside. She also had everyone from all different departments come to see this patient and was able to set up a plan. She got the patient on a more comfortable bed and took extra care and time to make sure she was okay. When Laura wasn’t making phone calls to different departments and doing everything in her power for this patient, she was in her patient's room; talking, crying, comforting, and praying with her. She comforted the family as well, keeping the main goal in mind of having the patient see her baby. After a taxing three days of advocating for her patient and multiple scans, consults, and procedures; Laura was able to get the patient stable enough to visit her baby in the NICU. After the visit, the patient came back to the floor glowing. She was determined and her spirits were high. The next day, the patient expressed to the other nurses what an angel Laura was to her. She communicated how hard Laura fought for her and how much it meant to her to have a nurse that cared so much for her and her family. Above all else, in the days following, Laura took it upon herself to make a basket for the patient with a bunch of get-well goodies. She also got all of the other nurses on the L&D floor to come together to sign cards and give gift cards for gas since the patient's family lives far from the hospital. The patient left our floor and was transported to the oncology department a couple of days after her encounter with Laura but could not stop talking about how appreciative she was.
On top of all of that, (if Laura couldn’t get any more special) she never takes credit for the amazing nurse she is or the work she does. She constantly says how “it’s a team effort” and that she is “just doing her job” but I have never met someone as special as Laura. We are all so lucky to have her work on our floor and at Bayhealth. She has never been recognized for her above-and-beyond work and deserves it more than anyone I know.
Compassion: We are kind and caring to everyone we encounter.
Accountability: Each of us is responsible for our words, our actions, and our results.
Respect: We value everyone and treat people with dignity and professionalism.
Integrity: We build trust through responsible actions and honest relationships.
Teamwork: We achieve more when we collaborate and all work together.
During every shift she has, Laura shows all of Bayhealth’s core values, but specifically in the situation below, she showed Compassion, Respect, and Integrity. Laura comes to work every day with a smile and an open heart. She never complains and does whatever she can to help her patients and her coworkers. She gives each of her patients every part of herself and her huge heart makes her loved by many. She advocates to give her patients the care they deserve and inspires her coworkers to be the best they can be through her example. When she was my preceptor I saw her compassion and determination through the care we provided to our patients. She taught me so much about the core values but specifically; Compassion, Respect, and Integrity. Now as an L&D nurse and her coworker, I see so much more of how she is willing to give herself professionally to each of her patients, no matter who they are or where they come from. She never asks for anything in return and believes that her purpose is to help her patients in any way that she can as well as being an amazing wife and mother. She inspires me to be a better nurse and a better person for my patients. Every patient that Laura has is lucky to have her; however, the patient I describe below stands out amongst the rest.
There are many stories I could share where Laura has made a meaningful difference in her patient’s care, but specifically, this situation and patient stand out to me above the rest.
Recently, a patient on our floor came to the hospital with symptoms that could be blamed on her pregnancy and other common pregnancy-related discomforts. Sadly after giving birth, the patient was told that she has stage 4 breast cancer. Although she had already given birth to her baby, she stayed on the L&D floor postpartum while her baby was in the NICU. Other nurses questioned why she was still on our floor since she had so much medically going on and they felt her case was too overwhelming. Laura was given this patient due to her background in oncology and over 17 years of nursing experience. However, she never questioned why the patient was still on our floor. Laura knew that this patient had the best chance of seeing her baby by staying on the L&D floor and she made it her mission to get the patient stable enough to see her baby. She cared for this patient for three days in a row and fought every day to get her patient the care, and attention she deserved. The patient was in so much pain that she could barely move and Laura pushed to get her a PCA pump and get her pain under control. She set up multiple consults for this patient including arranging a Thoracentesis to be done at the bedside. She also had everyone from all different departments come to see this patient and was able to set up a plan. She got the patient on a more comfortable bed and took extra care and time to make sure she was okay. When Laura wasn’t making phone calls to different departments and doing everything in her power for this patient, she was in her patient's room; talking, crying, comforting, and praying with her. She comforted the family as well, keeping the main goal in mind of having the patient see her baby. After a taxing three days of advocating for her patient and multiple scans, consults, and procedures; Laura was able to get the patient stable enough to visit her baby in the NICU. After the visit, the patient came back to the floor glowing. She was determined and her spirits were high. The next day, the patient expressed to the other nurses what an angel Laura was to her. She communicated how hard Laura fought for her and how much it meant to her to have a nurse that cared so much for her and her family. Above all else, in the days following, Laura took it upon herself to make a basket for the patient with a bunch of get-well goodies. She also got all of the other nurses on the L&D floor to come together to sign cards and give gift cards for gas since the patient's family lives far from the hospital. The patient left our floor and was transported to the oncology department a couple of days after her encounter with Laura but could not stop talking about how appreciative she was.
On top of all of that, (if Laura couldn’t get any more special) she never takes credit for the amazing nurse she is or the work she does. She constantly says how “it’s a team effort” and that she is “just doing her job” but I have never met someone as special as Laura. We are all so lucky to have her work on our floor and at Bayhealth. She has never been recognized for her above-and-beyond work and deserves it more than anyone I know.