Paula Schafer
April 2021
Paula
Schafer
,
RN, BSN, CCRN
ICU
Overlook Medical Center
Summit
,
NJ
United States
The wife said she felt calm and at ease hearing Paula say she would be with her husband as he was extubated due to the inability to be there herself.
I am from the Thomas Glasser Caregivers Center at Overlook Medical Center. At the center, we call family members after the loss of a loved one to offer emotional support and give resources as needed. One of the calls I made was the wife of a patient who wanted to express how one particular nurse went above and beyond for the wife and her children. The patient was admitted into the ICU where the wife said she was so happy to know her husband was in the hands of these nurses. The patient's wife named ICU nurse Paula Schafer to be kind, compassionate, and professional. The wife said “she was beyond any word I can think of” about her positive impact on the family despite the circumstance. The wife said she felt calm and at ease hearing Paula say she would be with her husband as he was extubated due to the inability to be there herself. She described feeling good knowing someone was there with her husband when she could not, as well as the constant contact with the nurse allowed her and her children to feel as if they were there. The wife wanted to make sure that the management and hospital were aware of the positive impact Paula made during the difficult moments for the family