I've had the privilege of having Mrs. Lynette Barnes as my preceptor for the past two months and have seen the most precise, effective and most compassionate care that a nurse can give to her patients. During one evening shift, we received an admission for a patient with episodes of A Fib. In report, we learned the patient was "extremely anxious" because she has not been to the hospital nor has she been separated for more than a day from her son. This patient was a mother to a total-dependent autistic child and was verbalizing throughout the night that she needed to return home "as soon as possible." At one point, the patient was verbalizing to leave against medical advice.
However, once Mrs. Barnes entered the patient's room, she sat at the bedside and began to ask her what was making the patient anxious and wanting to leave against medical advice. At first few inquiries, the patient was continuing to state that she had to leave the hospital as soon a possible. But Mrs. Barnes instinctively asked the patient if this was her first time away from home, to which the patient nodded. From there, Mrs. Barnes began to comfort her using therapeutic communication that was textbook; affirming the patient's concerns that being away from home and away from family can be very difficult, especially since the patient was the primary caregiver for the autistic child.
After a half-hour of listening and conversing with the patient, the patient showed a noticeable change in her attitude. She decided that it was the best-informed decision to stay at the hospital, allowing the tele wires to monitor her heartbeat throughout the night. Repeatedly throughout the shift, the patient thanked Mrs. Barnes for listening to her. As a preceptee, I learned how therapeutic communication should be done for an anxious patient.
Throughout the night the tele tech never notified us of any episodes of A Fib. Vital signs were within normal range and no anxiety medications were given throughout the shift. Needless to say, the patient was discharged by our next shift. This was only one of many stories that display Mrs. Barnes' serving heart. Observing Mrs. Barnes' therapeutic communication, her bedside manner, her psychosocial interventions, and watching how she made a meaningful difference in that patient's care meant a lot to me. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that deep inside Mrs. Barnes' heart is an actual daisy.