I was alerted by Noor this morning that she had a safety concern regarding one of a patient's medications that was ordered. The medication called for a capsule to be opened up and administered sublingually. Noor noted that the MAR required an N-95 mask, a chemo gown, double gloves, and a chemo disposal bin, which we do not have on our floor. Noor spoke up to the physicians and pharmacy and then me when she still wasn't getting the answers that she needed. After follow-up and a trip to the oncology unit, we did discover that this order was incorrect and not a safe practice. Noor was then able to get the order changed to a liquid form, which was safe to administer on our unit.
When I rounded with this same patient, he stated, "My nurse is amazing." I hear this a lot from patients, so it's nothing out of the ordinary for me. Then, Noor came into the room and handed the patient a small medicine cup. The patient was telling me how when he is at home, his wife makes him peppermint that he can smell, and that helps his migraines go away. The patient said, "That's what this is. My nurse took the time to make me this peppermint here so that my migraine will go away. Just like my wife does when I'm at home." Noor did this very naturally, without a second thought. This speaks to her ability as a nurse to speak up about patient safety until she is heard, this speaks to her ability about getting to know her patients on a personal level, and this speaks to her ability to address her patients' needs; treating them as unique individuals. She truly is demonstrating the Henry Ford motto of "All for You". Noor is one amazing and very humble nurse! (On a side note: she did all of this before 8:30 a.m. while also caring for her other patients!)