Rob
Buckey
November 2013
Rob
Buckey
,
RN
Staffing Resources
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Raleigh
,
NC
United States
I nominate Rob Buckey, RN for the DAISY Award for demonstrating nursing excellence on our unit. In all my years of nursing, I have rarely seen such caring and commitment towards a patient and family. As charge nurse on 1C, I had the pleasure of watching an expert nurse, floating to our unit, independently diffuse a potentially major social nightmare.
...One of his patients was a grandmother from Kansas City who, along with her 13 year old grandson, had attended a family reunion in Rocky Mount. As the two were about to board the airplane for their return flight, grand mom (GM) became short of breath. EMS was called and she was admitted to our unit for observation and dialysis with her grandson in tow.
WakeMed protocol states that children may not stay in a patient's room unattended. While GM was in dialysis, the youth was alone on the unit. To make matters worse, their entire luggage had been checked through. Luckily the boy was well behaved and quiet.
Rob realized a problem was at hand when the clinical administrators learned the boy was left alone on the unit and worried family members started calling.
Rob gained the Kansas City family's trust by relaying updates and offering reassurance as problems developed on the unit. With the child alone and no family nearby to pick him up, Rob had to inform the mom that unless someone came to supervise him, the boy would be turned over to Child Protective Services. Needless to say, the mom and GM became hysterical and frustrated. GM threatened to go AMA if anyone took away her grandson.
Despite the chaos, Rob continued offering GM excellent nursing care by setting a goal of getting her to the airport on day 2. After completing two days of dialysis, GM was thoroughly exhausted, but medically cleared and discharged. Rob insisted that she sit up and dress herself before calling patient transport. He told her she couldn't be discharged until she proved that she could tolerate the flight home.
Long story short, Rob assumed the role of advocate for GM and grandson by communicating both social and medical needs between case managers, unit managers and supervisors, social workers, airline reps, clinical administrators, dialysis staff, nephrologist, and many concerned family members.
Rob took control of this situation and followed it through until the family was on their way home. GM and grandson left WakeMed knowing that someone genuinely cared and acted in their behalf. Rob independently tackled and expertly managed a problem many people would have avoided.
Good news though. The next morning, Rob received a call from Kansas City that the two had made it home safely.
...One of his patients was a grandmother from Kansas City who, along with her 13 year old grandson, had attended a family reunion in Rocky Mount. As the two were about to board the airplane for their return flight, grand mom (GM) became short of breath. EMS was called and she was admitted to our unit for observation and dialysis with her grandson in tow.
WakeMed protocol states that children may not stay in a patient's room unattended. While GM was in dialysis, the youth was alone on the unit. To make matters worse, their entire luggage had been checked through. Luckily the boy was well behaved and quiet.
Rob realized a problem was at hand when the clinical administrators learned the boy was left alone on the unit and worried family members started calling.
Rob gained the Kansas City family's trust by relaying updates and offering reassurance as problems developed on the unit. With the child alone and no family nearby to pick him up, Rob had to inform the mom that unless someone came to supervise him, the boy would be turned over to Child Protective Services. Needless to say, the mom and GM became hysterical and frustrated. GM threatened to go AMA if anyone took away her grandson.
Despite the chaos, Rob continued offering GM excellent nursing care by setting a goal of getting her to the airport on day 2. After completing two days of dialysis, GM was thoroughly exhausted, but medically cleared and discharged. Rob insisted that she sit up and dress herself before calling patient transport. He told her she couldn't be discharged until she proved that she could tolerate the flight home.
Long story short, Rob assumed the role of advocate for GM and grandson by communicating both social and medical needs between case managers, unit managers and supervisors, social workers, airline reps, clinical administrators, dialysis staff, nephrologist, and many concerned family members.
Rob took control of this situation and followed it through until the family was on their way home. GM and grandson left WakeMed knowing that someone genuinely cared and acted in their behalf. Rob independently tackled and expertly managed a problem many people would have avoided.
Good news though. The next morning, Rob received a call from Kansas City that the two had made it home safely.