The exceptional patient care given by the nurses in the outpatient areas cannot be overlooked. For example, one of our Ambulatory Treatment Center patients came in for a very painful procedure today. Due to the heavy use of pain medications to help curb the discomfort for the procedure, the nurse involved worked hard with the Anesthesiologist and Wound Care Physician to expedite the treatment. The treatment was one of the last procedures of the day. Transportation was an issue for the patient not only on arrival but also to get home. Also, he not only had a longer recovery phase due to the high dose of medications used, but he also needed discharge medications from the pharmacy and needed to make additional appointments with another clinic for follow-up. Margaret Hein, RN was assigned the case.
She stayed with the patient during the procedure and lengthy recovery to ensure he would be safe after he left the hospital. Although the clinic had virtually closed, she stayed with the patient for a significant period of time, called the Wound Care Clinic for a follow-up appointment so he would not need to go there or miss the opportunity at this late hour, took him to the pharmacy to ensure he had his medications prior to leaving the hospital, (but he did not have the money to pay for them so Margaret paid for his prescriptions as an above and beyond kind gesture), then used her personal telephone to connect with his family member who was coming to pick him up. She stayed in the front lobby until his ride arrived.
This compassionate nurse went above and beyond her role to keep her patient at the center of her attention. She would not leave until he was safely in the car with his family member to watch over him on the way home for rest. Margaret is an outstanding example of many patient centered events that happen every day in the Outpatient Clinic areas that show how the staff tries to take care of every patient as if they were their own family member.