Taylor Sanford started as a Student Nurse Tech and finished Nursing School and took a position as an RN on the unit. She has been such an asset to the unit. It has been like watching a diamond form watching Taylor grow as an RN. When Taylor was an SNT, she was kicked and pushed by one particular patient one night. The patient literally ran over her and she still came back to work the next shift. She had one of the biggest bruises on her side I have ever seen. We used to joke and say that Taylor takes a licking and keeps on ticking. During Easter, one Nurse who had a very young child was scheduled to work and it was their first Easter and no one wanted to swap with her so she could be off with her child. Taylor was not scheduled but swapped with this Nurse so that she could be off with her child. Her words were, “I don’t have kids now but I hope someone will do the same for me when I do.” That is the kind of heart that she has.

We had a patient that had been here over a year and had become like part of the family. She bought him numerous snacks and things that would make him happy. She bought him some clippers so that he could cut his hair. She didn’t tell anyone. I found out from him. You see, she does not do things for the glory or the pat on the back. She is just a genuine person that cares for others. She is an advocate for her patients…every one of them. She has been hit, kicked, spit on, etc. but she never lets it get her down.

Taylor took care of a patient for multiple days in a row. Unfortunately, the patient passed away on her day off. Taylor called me upset beyond belief. She was so upset that her patient died while she was not with him. She was upset that she was not there with him and the family as he passed. Her compassion is beyond compare. I am not sure I have ever met such an advocate for patients as Taylor is for hers.

We have had some challenging patients and some that have difficult family dynamics and with the visitor policy as it is, it is difficult for multiple family members to come be with loved ones admitted. Until you have watched someone die there are no words to put in place to make it easy. At times their respirations become increased and they just look like they are struggling. This particular patient was breathing 40 times a minute and Taylor knew that the patient did not have much longer. She advocated for this patient and got the doctor to order some medication to help them patient not to suffer. In the meantime she called family and explained that their loved one was probably not going to be around a long time and they needed to come see the patient. She called them several days in a row to tell them and the day they came up, the patient died. Two days later, (almost the exact same scenario except the daughter of the patient did not know that she could come visit), another patient was DNR but should have been made comfort care about a week or so earlier. Taylor just really started questioning the daughter as to why she would not come see her mother and the daughter thought that she could not because she was pregnant. Taylor told her that she needed to see her mother. When the daughter got there, she did speak with the doctor and they did make the patient comfort care. That was about 1800 on a Friday night and the patient passed away around 0300 the next morning. It is like the family was waiting to see the daughter (who was going to deliver her baby on Monday) before she would let go. If Taylor had not really questioned the daughter, she would not have seen her mother alive. Those are two examples of the ways she advocates.

Taylor also has genuine concern for her fellow workers. Last night we only had 6 Nurses due to a Nurse being on FMLA because of Covid. We had 1 tech scheduled because the other was out on FMLA due to an emergency surgery. Our suitable staffing is 7/2/1 at all times. Last night we had 6/1/1 and then the only tech scheduled called in leaving us with 6/0/1. We had already gotten an e-mail from the supervisor that one more call in would cripple staffing. It was about 1450 and Taylor said that she would go home and sleep and come back at 2300 and be the tech on the unit. So she did just that. I can guarantee those 15 patients got some of the best care possible. I could go on and on talking about Taylor and her kindness and gentleness with her patients and her co-workers. She has only been a Nurse about a year, but is already helping to train new staff. She will not let her patients go without something they need - if that means she changes a patient, feeds a patient or sits and talks with them. She is also the same way about the unit. She is constantly picking up extras shifts or swapping so that the unit is covered appropriately.