Stephanie goes above and beyond and demonstrates kindness and compassion to all of her patients and their families. Stephanie is a hugger and that means every patient and most often, even their family members, get hugs when the patient is transferred from our unit. I have witnessed this on multiple occasions and even warned patients and families with a chuckle about her being a hugger. Those hugs are always very warmly received and obviously appreciated.
Stephanie is very humble about the care that she gives and never thinks of herself as going above and beyond but sees it as she is just doing her job. She never hesitates to search out policy and procedures when performing tasks that she may be unsure of or a little rusty with. Stephanie always seeks a second opinion when necessary and usually prefaces it with, "This is a stupid question, but," to which I always laugh and remind her there is no such thing. She never approaches any task with ensuring her care will be anything less than exceptional.
Informing and Educating Patients and Families: On multiple occasions, I have witnessed Stephanie talking with patients and/or their families and educating them on health issues, expectations, staff access, and hospital policies when necessary. Her approach is gentle and caring, yet honest and to the point. Not everyone can reach patients and their families in the way that Stephanie is able to and elicit the responses that she does. It is a wonderful sight to witness.
In our department, the one thing we try to tell people is to never lose hope even when the outcomes they are facing seem very dim. End of life issues are a daily experience for all of our nurses in the unit and we know that sometimes, a transition from this life is the best we can hope for. Stephanie always comforts her patients whether they are even alert enough to realize it and takes a calming approach offering hopeful words of loving encouragement to families. She never sends any patient or family away without wishing nothing, but the very best for them regardless of how trying their care may have been for her.
Yet again, I have witnessed Stephanie displaying all of these qualities while providing excellent patient care. I was there as she lowered the rail on her patient's bed to give him a giant hug as he was transferring to a different unit. I watched as she encouraged his continued healing and her excitement that a neuro patient was leaving with no deficits after a burr hole procedure. Her conversation with him and his family was one full of education, hope, and love and this gentleman, whom she verbalized not wanting to see leave, voiced how touched he was and how great she had been.
As I transported this gentleman to a CT scan to ensure it was done before he arrived at his next unit, he told me how great Stephanie had been to him and how hoped the next level of care matched up to the care he received. In this unit, we take pride in a job well done and in all of our nursing staff. Stephanie is exceptional and this is only one example of how deeply she personifies kindness and compassion while providing skillful care and education with a hopeful outlook and love, not only for her patients but for the job she does. With all of these qualities, it is easy to see how she touches the lives of so many every single day in the unit.