Lauren was the first nurse I had contact with when my mom arrived at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. She called me and asked for permission to put in a central line. She explained what it was and what it would do and then asked if I understood and/or had any questions. When I said I didn't have any questions, she asked me to tell her, in my own words, what I understood. She wanted to make certain I knew what I was agreeing to. When I met Lauren, I was immediately grateful my mom had been lucky enough to have her as her nurse. She was kind, caring, compassionate and intelligent. It was evident she absolutely loved her job and knew what she was doing. Lauren provided my mom with amazing care and treated her with the utmost respect. I will forever be grateful to her and the medical team.
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When we arrived at the hospital, Lauren was explaining to our family member what she was doing to provide care. Lauren then turned her attention to us to explain what to expect over the next several hours. She was receptive to our questions and concerns and made us feel included and not a bother or after-thought. As a nurse, I know it can be difficult to care for a patient with family members in the health care profession, but Lauren displayed respect for my situation. I enjoyed observing Lauren with students. She was respectful to them and did a great job explaining what she was doing and the rationale behind the tasks. She is a great role model with excellent clinical skills.
Lauren's compassion was evident throughout our experience. She would stop in to check on our family member and our family even when not assigned. The thing that will stay with me for years to come was the hug and kind words of caring spoken to me. Lauren exhibited compassion, openness, respect, excellence and extraordinary service.