Shauna Webster
May 2014
Shauna
Webster
,
RN
Women and Infant Services
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
Phoenix
,
AZ
United States
What in the world am I doing here?, I never expected this, never saw it coming. But now that I am here, I can handle it. I will be strong and smile and banter a bit before I go under; keep a strong upper lip and all. Then they ask you to start the count backwards from 10. The eyes say it all, the deep questioning stare, the change in composure and when you wake up you are in a strange place. It is a maze of elevators and hallways, a different floor and different rooms with faces you do not recognize. You search for some form of familiarity and comfort, someone's eyes that reflect reassurance and safety, a voice of caring blended with a hint of authority. You have no tenure with the doctor. His schedule does not permit the time to be intimate. He has your trust but the relationship rarely is sufficient to calm the nerves and ease the transition. So you reach out to someone that has been assigned to you, your nurse.
It is unfair to think of a nurse as being "assigned" to a patient. It is more an act of accepting the responsibility, the enormous responsibility, to care for a patient and take them from apprehension and confusion to trust, understanding and comfort. This is a daunting task.
We first met Shauna when my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier in the day. We had arrived by ambulance to the hospital. The room felt like any hospital room, cold and stark with special equipment and beds that moved in funny ways. Shauna began to make us feel comfortable, but at that moment there was no way anyone could reach our innermost fears. Shauna knew that and went about her business attending to my wife. Her special touch of care and authority was apparent on that first day, though ignored due to our struggle to understand the severity of the diagnosis.
My wife spent 5 days in that room. Five days of visitors, tears, questions, doctors and wondering. Through these five days Shauna developed a relationship with my wife, getting past the fear front and treating not only the symptoms of the disease but the human symptoms that can make or break a speedy recovery. Shauna reached my wife's spirit and held it firmly in her grasp during those five days.
How she did that is really impossible to put into words. It was a caring voice and eyes that were strong and compassionate. It was her professional manner, clearly demonstrating a grasp of the technical side of the job but not letting the buzzers, bells and paperwork interfere with the softer side. It was always being there and when she wasn't there my wife knew she was. It was reliability, honest answers, strength and an understanding of the patient. It was a results-driven approach, perhaps not planned, but one that brought outstanding results.
Four months later my wife had surgery. She started the backwards count and woke up back on the same floor. It took her a while to "wake up" but when she did Shauna was looking at her. Shauna did not need a clipboard to know my wife's name or her personality. She called her by name and in a manner only Shauna can relate, offered my wife a caring welcome back. My wife's remarkable recovery had begun.
We have spent 5 days since Shauna's welcome. Five more days that Shauna has cared for my wife. These days have been harder for Shauna from a work perspective. She has had to change the bed and bandages, give transfusions, comfort my wife from the pain of surgery and guide my wife through the first several days of recovery from major surgery. Shauna remembered my wife's name, that is probably common. But she also remembered the names of my wife's friends, my name, the names of our children and the "story" of our family. Shauna remembered the gifts that visitors brought 4 months prior. She related the stories of the conversations my wife had during our first visit. These things gave my wife the added strength and comfort to respond to her surgery in the most remarkable manner.
Shauna touched my wife's spirit and lifted it up. If I have to cite one example of Shauna's care it would be my wife's incredible recovery, the core results of a nurse's care and a hospital's mission statement. It is exemplary conduct in all areas that show Shauna's outstanding professionalism and caring nature. She is a leader and is very deserving of special recognition.
It is unfair to think of a nurse as being "assigned" to a patient. It is more an act of accepting the responsibility, the enormous responsibility, to care for a patient and take them from apprehension and confusion to trust, understanding and comfort. This is a daunting task.
We first met Shauna when my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier in the day. We had arrived by ambulance to the hospital. The room felt like any hospital room, cold and stark with special equipment and beds that moved in funny ways. Shauna began to make us feel comfortable, but at that moment there was no way anyone could reach our innermost fears. Shauna knew that and went about her business attending to my wife. Her special touch of care and authority was apparent on that first day, though ignored due to our struggle to understand the severity of the diagnosis.
My wife spent 5 days in that room. Five days of visitors, tears, questions, doctors and wondering. Through these five days Shauna developed a relationship with my wife, getting past the fear front and treating not only the symptoms of the disease but the human symptoms that can make or break a speedy recovery. Shauna reached my wife's spirit and held it firmly in her grasp during those five days.
How she did that is really impossible to put into words. It was a caring voice and eyes that were strong and compassionate. It was her professional manner, clearly demonstrating a grasp of the technical side of the job but not letting the buzzers, bells and paperwork interfere with the softer side. It was always being there and when she wasn't there my wife knew she was. It was reliability, honest answers, strength and an understanding of the patient. It was a results-driven approach, perhaps not planned, but one that brought outstanding results.
Four months later my wife had surgery. She started the backwards count and woke up back on the same floor. It took her a while to "wake up" but when she did Shauna was looking at her. Shauna did not need a clipboard to know my wife's name or her personality. She called her by name and in a manner only Shauna can relate, offered my wife a caring welcome back. My wife's remarkable recovery had begun.
We have spent 5 days since Shauna's welcome. Five more days that Shauna has cared for my wife. These days have been harder for Shauna from a work perspective. She has had to change the bed and bandages, give transfusions, comfort my wife from the pain of surgery and guide my wife through the first several days of recovery from major surgery. Shauna remembered my wife's name, that is probably common. But she also remembered the names of my wife's friends, my name, the names of our children and the "story" of our family. Shauna remembered the gifts that visitors brought 4 months prior. She related the stories of the conversations my wife had during our first visit. These things gave my wife the added strength and comfort to respond to her surgery in the most remarkable manner.
Shauna touched my wife's spirit and lifted it up. If I have to cite one example of Shauna's care it would be my wife's incredible recovery, the core results of a nurse's care and a hospital's mission statement. It is exemplary conduct in all areas that show Shauna's outstanding professionalism and caring nature. She is a leader and is very deserving of special recognition.