My dad, an 82 year old man, a kidney transplant patient with comorbidities, presented with neck pain and was admitted to the hospital that night. He started slurring his words and quite frankly, lost his mind for days.
It must be incredibly difficult to see patients who are struggling so hard. Sharing a true smile and a little kindness mean the world to the patients and their families. What important work you all do, I am very impressed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking good care of my dad and going above and beyond your job descriptions.
Nobody knew what was happening. He had CAT scans, MRIs, a spinal tap, many hospitalists, specialty doctors and nurses came in and out of his room. Here was this elderly patient who was spewing complete nonsense and the nurses on the Neuroscience-Transplant floor were so, so kind. As they smiled at him, listened and were patient, I was so impressed. He didn't always use good language and was down-right rude a few times, but they were so compassionate. One nice nurse even shaved my dad, which made my mom almost cry.
We were really scared and everyone who came in the room was very encouraging and patient. I'm happy and thrilled to say that my dad's mind came back and that he was able to return home. It feels like a miracle. I just want you to know that I'm so grateful for his care.
***
In February of this year, the 6-bed Progressive Neuroscience Care Unit opened, as part of a larger unit which also cares for neurology, nephrology and kidney transplant patients. The staff managed this change while juggling staffing changes, increasing their knowledge and skills, adjusting to a new patient population and a dramatically different level of patient acuity. They worked closely with providers to develop clinical pathways and collaborated daily on optimizing patient care.
The nurses have undertaken over 70 hours of residency to ensure competency in opening this step down unit. They have shifted the unit's culture to one of risk prevention and have developed a high level of confidence in their neuro skills. Neuro nursing is about noticing subtle changes and trusting your skill to raise concerns. These nurses now do this with ease. It has been a long road and the staff has handled the transitions with grace. The level of care and compassion that they give to each patient, at times when they are so vulnerable, is incredible.
One example was of a surgical patient who was admitted for a cervical fusion surgery. Though not ordered, the RN accurately assessed the patient's impaired ability to swallow and took immediate action to contact the team and adjust the oral intake. Another example was of a stroke patient that converted to a bleed. The increased lethargy was noted over the course of a shift and the RN requested imaging to look at potential causes. A subsequent RN also continued to closely monitor this patient and reported subtle seizure activity, again indicating a worsening condition and a need of immediate attention. These are just a few examples of the incredible skill that the team has demonstrated while opening a new unit and simultaneously improving patient outcomes.

The Neuroscience and Transplant Unit Team from Virginia Mason

Winifred Abah, PCT
Jean-Pierre Abedi, RN
Chelsea Addison, RN
Chelsea Anderson, PCT
Nate Barfield, RN
Andy Bennett, PCT
Angel Benson, PCT
Jasmine Bisacky, PCT
Dorota Bisikirska, PCT
Nick Bolton, PCT
Alison Bradywood, RN
Jennifer Brennan, RN
Nobu Buckley, RN
Shelly Caldejon, RN
Maria Castro Abrego, PFC
Joyce Chen, RN
Allison Covey, RN
Caley deNevers, RN
Sarah Jane DeVoe, RN
Chris Ebmeier, PFC
Melanie Edwards, PCT
Farrokh Farrokhi, MD
Rose Fernandez, PCT
Elizabeth Field, RN
Alexa Foley, RN
Mike Forrestal, PCT
Kelsey Froula, PCT
Michele Gilbert, PA
Maria Gunther, PA
Tekie Haile, PCT
Sarah Harris, RN
Chris Henshaw, RN
Christina Ho, RN
Christine Holbrook, RN
Ryan Huffman, RN
Naomi Hyland, RN
Catherine Jackson, PA
Mark Jacobson, PA
Kulwinder Jaswal, PCT
Christina Jennings, PA
Nick Kaley, PA
Julissa Jones, RN
Jena Kelleher, RN
Lauren Kelly, PCT
Matt Klein, PCT
Jen Knowles, PT
Pauline Lao, RN
Chong Lee, MD
Kay Lenaburg, RN
Anna Lieu, RN
Yi Liu, PharmD
Heather Martin, RN
Liz Marzec, RN
Bukory Matt, PCT
Kristina Matushevskaya, PCT
Angela Mery, RN
Tracey Meyers, PharmD
Mya Moravong, PFC
Amy Morgan, RN
Mary Muiruri, RN
Andy Nelson, MSW
Mike Newtson, PA
Trung Nguyen, RN
Miriam Njengah, RN
Anne Njuguna, PCT
Dawne Noha, RN
Kellen Nold, PA
Zena Ouedraogo, PCT
Laurie Racicot, RN
Juan Ramirez, OT
Jackie Robbins, PFC
Arin Schaafsma, OT
Shirley Sherman, RN
Binisha Shrestha, RN
Rachel Simonelli, RN
Margaret Stapleton, RN
Charlese Stewart, PCT
Noreen Sweeting, PCT
Aleks Tkach, PharmD
Sharon Veith, RN
Jake Weidert, PA
Amy Wilson, RN
Brandon Wilson, PA
Mina Wirth, RN
Tanichia Young, PCT