Savannah Schmidt
March 2021
Savannah
Schmidt
,
BSN, RN
2C Medical
El Camino Health
Mountain View
,
CA
United States
For the remaining 6 hours, Savannah was prompt, professional, and showed up to swap IV meds exactly when the last one ended.
Savannah was my nurse when I was being treated for diverticulitis. I was in stable condition, but I was still miserable. Savannah was my nurse for only one shift. In this one shift, she made my remaining 3 days in the hospital so much better.
First, she established my trust. Realizing I was too distraught to believe I was ok, Savannah proved her capabilities and knowledge. For example, she noticed my IV was placed in a poor location. While this was being fixed, she talked to me in a conversational way about my condition. While listening like a patient friend, she wove into her reflective listening enough details to show me that she knew what she was talking about. She pulled up my vitals on the computer and showed me the vitals now versus when I was admitted. Around the time I noticed my IV was much more comfortable, (I could move my elbow now - yay!) I realized I would be ok.
For the remaining 6 hours, Savannah was prompt, professional, and showed up to swap IV meds exactly when the last one ended. When I asked her when I can walk the halls, she cheerfully offered, "I can walk a loop with you!" Note, I was safely ambulatory, she just offered because she's awesome! There are more examples, but I'll close by saying the difference between a great nurse and an extraordinary nurse is how they use each interaction to help lift the spirits of a vulnerable person. Thank you, Savannah!
First, she established my trust. Realizing I was too distraught to believe I was ok, Savannah proved her capabilities and knowledge. For example, she noticed my IV was placed in a poor location. While this was being fixed, she talked to me in a conversational way about my condition. While listening like a patient friend, she wove into her reflective listening enough details to show me that she knew what she was talking about. She pulled up my vitals on the computer and showed me the vitals now versus when I was admitted. Around the time I noticed my IV was much more comfortable, (I could move my elbow now - yay!) I realized I would be ok.
For the remaining 6 hours, Savannah was prompt, professional, and showed up to swap IV meds exactly when the last one ended. When I asked her when I can walk the halls, she cheerfully offered, "I can walk a loop with you!" Note, I was safely ambulatory, she just offered because she's awesome! There are more examples, but I'll close by saying the difference between a great nurse and an extraordinary nurse is how they use each interaction to help lift the spirits of a vulnerable person. Thank you, Savannah!