Denise Harmon and her Med/Surg/Peds team have been caring for a very challenging patient since the end of January. This has been a difficult case from the beginning. The emotional and physical strain this has put on the department is unprecedented. Through all this, they still care for the patient with patience and a caring attitude. The staff works together to figure out the patient’s cues and how to respond to them and care for them while keeping themselves and the patient safe. When people from outside of our hospital have come to evaluate this patient, they comment on how well the patient is cared for and the lengths the staff has gone to make sure they are looked after in the best way possible. Many departments (Security, Case Management, PT/OT/Speech) have collaborated to find the best solution to this patient’s problems but Med/Surg/Peds has carried the weight of this patient’s care for months. This has been the most challenging, emotionally draining, and physically demanding patient this hospital has ever cared for.
 
***

The Med/Surg/Peds team is a true example of how a successful team functions. Recently Med/Surg/Peds had a very difficult and hard-to-place patient. This particular patient would not be considered a typical Med/Surg/Peds patient and required specialized care. The Med/Surg/ Peds team collaborated with other departments to ensure the care plan for this patient was appropriate and followed. They maintained their professionalism and high standards of care in the most trying times. They endured months of frequent changes to the care plan, disruptive behavior, unavoidable injury, and uncertainty. They continued to show up and provide care to the best of their ability. They offered suggestions to help improve the care provided to the patient. They were willing to try any and all suggestions from the interdisciplinary team working with this patient to help produce a positive outcome and improve the patient’s quality of life. They worked side-by-side with the security team and the PT/OT team to make this patient’s stay less stressful for them and minimize any negative impact. 
The way they worked together with each other, the members of the interdisciplinary team, outside organizations, and the patient to ensure that they could meet the needs of the patient in the best way possible was awe-inspiring. Even when they felt down, defeated, and frustrated they showed up and continued to provide quality care. Oftentimes they spent hours at a time tending to this patient, which was taxing in and of itself, but they were also able to make sure the other Med/Surg/Peds patients were well cared for. They took everything in stride and were able to quickly pivot and remain focused on caring for the patient and working toward making their transition from Med/Surg to their permanent placement as smooth as possible. 

This team is absolutely amazing, and their hard work and dedication are a true inspiration as well as an asset to the entire organization.