Natalie Ramirez
August 2021
Natalie
Ramirez
,
RN
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
The Everett Clinic
Everett
,
WA
United States
Before the patient and his family left for the last time their goal was to see Natalie and thank her for her commitment to walking the family through their health care journey.
Healthcare providers often focus too much on the cure and not enough on the patient. Nurse Natalie Ramirez focuses on the patient and their family in each of their unique health care journeys. She respects and affirms their health care goals. One specific gentleman in his 90s came to our clinic with a painful skin cancer mass that was no longer able to be completely excised or cured. The patient and his family sought palliative care to focus on comfort and quality family time. Natalie immediately connected with the patient and his family to optimize his wound care routine to minimize the risk of infection and the discomfort of dressing changes. She repeatedly called the patient's care team to communicate our clinic's recommendations and ensure adequate resources were available. Her care prevented many trips to the clinic or emergency department. After many months of frequent visits with Natalie and the rest of the healthcare team, the patient and his wife decided he was getting too weak to make any additional drives into the clinic. This would be our last visit together and the end was clearly near. Before the patient and his family left for the last time their goal was to see Natalie and thank her for her commitment to walking the family through their health care journey. This is not a unique event. Natalie treats each patient as if they were a member of her family. She is dedicated to ensuring their safety and comfort as they navigate through our clinic from consultation, through surgery, and any subsequent care. Thank you, Natalie, we are honored to have you on our team.