Zoe works in the Heart Care clinic and for the most part, that job is pretty consistent in the realm of what to expect for the day. They have their regular patients who they have formed relationships with and feel comfortable interacting with. The employees in the clinic are highly proficient and very experienced. Occasionally they have their difficult days like when a pregnant woman shows up breathing heavily and asking if "this is the emergency room?" or a patient is so exacerbated in heart failure that they quickly need to get that patient some treatment or admitted to the hospital.
A couple of weeks ago a patient came to the Heart Failure clinic to receive treatment. The patient did not have a ride home as her ride "fell through". Zoe offered to drive the patient home. This was the last patient of the day for the clinic so she felt like she could do this. Additionally, she recognized that this patient had new scripts for medications and Zoe recognized that the patient would not have an easy time getting those meds picked up. However, the patient didn't want to trouble Zoe any more than for a ride home. Zoe thought that was nonsense, called in the patient's scripts, prepared her own automobile for the trip (as the patient had some slight incontinence issues and she had just received a diuretic medication) and set out on their journey. It should be noted that Zoe lives near KU Med Center and the patient lives in Gladstone. Zoe took the patient to the pharmacy and got her meds picked up and delivered her home safely.
This really is the kind of story that makes us old nurses so proud! These stories are what sustain so many of us in this profession and this action by this nurse is truly inspiring. This is what I call above and beyond nursing. This patient, as well as NKCH, are lucky to have a nurse like Zoe. Thanks Zoe for making us all look good.