Rebecca works in the ED and just received her SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) certification. We recently had a 4-year-old patient come in related to truly heartbreaking circumstances. She was extremely frightened and agitated, and Rebecca jumped into action and gathered staff to help distract her while she completed her exam. One staff member watched a movie with her, another drew and played games with her, and another sat down with her and had a tea party. Rebecca brought them all together in order to comfort and calm the patient.
During the course of Rebecca's exam and assessment, she realized that something wasn't right about the child's parents. She carefully observed their interactions and communication and, ultimately, made the decision to contact the police department because of her concerns.
Upon their investigation, they discovered that the people were not, in fact, the child's parents. Child Protective Services was able to contact the child's aunt and determined she was safe to send the child home with. Rebecca discovered that the aunt didn't have anything she needed at her home to care for a 4-year-old, so she contacted the Peds department to ask if they had anything they could donate. The nurses on that unit put together an amazing care package for her to take home with her. Ultimately, Rebecca stayed 3 hours past the end of her shift to ensure that the patient was safely discharged.
Rebecca's ability to observe her environment and listen to her intuition saved this child's life. Her compassion and resourcefulness will never be forgotten by us, and probably never by the little girl. She is an excellent nurse, but she is also a true hero and we are so, so thankful for her.