October 2023
Stephanie
Fiandaca
,
RN
Emergency Department
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston
,
MA
United States
Stephanie then proceeded to help the patient comb out her matted hair for over an hour. A patient who had been incredibly agitated with other staff members and quite honestly difficult to manage over the course of the week had felt completely safe, seen, and well taken care of because of Stephanie.
Stephanie displayed phenomenal care for a patient who had been placed on a psych hold and was in the Emergency Department for more days than ideal. Due to the hospital's full capacity, our psychiatric patients don’t move out of the department as quickly as they should. This means patients are stuck in their emergency department room (with no freedom) for days on end. This patient, in particular, was here for almost a week. Due to the patient's behavior, she had multiple privileges stripped from her to maintain the safety of the patient as well as the staff caring for her. Stephanie went out of her way to facilitate a shower safely for this patient. After the shower, the patient was agitated and emotional because her hair was matted from sleeping on the stretcher for nights on end, and the conditioner provided only made things worse. Stephanie then proceeded to help the patient comb out her matted hair for over an hour. A patient who had been incredibly agitated with other staff members and quite honestly difficult to manage over the course of the week had felt completely safe, seen, and well taken care of because of Stephanie. The patient was in the emergency department for another day after Stephanie’s care, still waiting for a bed, and she could not stop talking about how much Stephanie’s care impacted her. The patient stated that her stay in the hospital had taken a complete turn for the better once she had Stephanie as a nurse. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Stephanie for several years now, and this is only one example of the impeccable care she always provides to patients. As much as it saddens me to say, some people have a difficult time caring for psychiatric patients, especially when they have a history of violence. Stephanie truly treats everyone like family and always goes above and beyond to make people feel comfortable no matter who they are. Stephanie works twice as hard to get things done. Even with short staffing and a very heavy workload with numerous critical patients in the emergency department, Stephanie finds a way to get everything done and then some. Her skills and knowledge in emergency medicine are unmatched. Stephanie’s tremendous love for her patients deserves some attention because I truly wish there were more nurses like Stephanie, especially in the emergency medicine setting.