November 2020
Victoria
Dentamaro
,
RN
Emergency Room Department
VA. St. Louis Health Care System
When the family arrived she escorted them into the room and made herself available to them for any needs that arose. Vicky was amazing in her ability to offer her compassion and support through this process.
A code K was called on the 1st floor dialysis unit and Vicky was one of the ED nurses who went on the call with a stretcher and went back to offer assistance and potentially bring the Veteran back to the ED for further care and disposition. In this instance, the Veteran did not survive and was pronounced deceased in the dialysis unit. The family was notified of the veteran's passing and were on their way. As the dialysis unit is not set up in a way to offer privacy to either the grieving family or the other veterans receiving treatment the decision was made by the ED manager to bring him to the ED and place him in a private backroom until the family could arrive. Vicky was the nurse assigned to the back team and stepped up and took it upon herself to ensure that the room was ready for the family by placing chairs and tissues in the room as well as ensuring that the Veteran was presentable for his family's final visit. When the family arrived she escorted them into the room and made herself available to them for any needs that arose. Vicky was amazing in her ability to offer her compassion and support through this process. This may not seem like something out of the ordinary but during this time with the COVID-19 Pandemic all around us, Vicky realized the importance of the family's time with their loved one as a funeral would have to be either postponed or may not take place at all due to social distancing. The Veteran's wife of 40 years was difficult to console at times, but Vicky remained calm and compassionate the entire time allowing her to grieve.