Stephanie was the dayshift nurse and I was the nightshift nurse. She did an amazing job listening to the patient's concerns with not wanting any further tests and wanting Palliative services and home hospice.
Stephanie and I were passing a patient back and forth between 2 different days and nights. The patient had had a history of a double lung transplant and was back in the hospital with chronic rejection and a cold. The patient and her son had been discussing Palliative care and home with hospice. The son had been taking care of her for the past six years and was struggling with this decision because he had watched his father die of cancer a couple of years back. The son was beyond exhausted and struggling with this hard decision and listening to his mother say that she didn't want to live anymore.
Stephanie did an amazing job of gaining the son's trust and helping him feel as if he was doing the right thing. The son was tired and knew that home with hospice would be the next step. Stephanie did an amazing job listening to the son and gaining his trust to be able to leave his mother in our care so he could go home and rest while we took care of his mother. The patient was allergic to morphine and Stephanie went above and beyond to make sure we got other meds ordered to keep her comfortable. She made sure to call the son with any updates and to work with social work to make sure she was happy with home hospice.
Stephanie knew that mother just wanted to get home to her dogs and see her grandchild before she passed. She provided excellent and compassionate care and spent time with the patient to make sure she wasn't alone. The patient was extremely anxious due to breathing complications and Stephanie made sure to stay on top of her anxiety with meds and other comfort measures such as music and a stuffed animal her family had brought her. Stephanie did such a great job that the patient was able to make it home with hospice to be with her family.