How do you recover, impress, and convert a family with a 17-year history of hatred towards East Tennessee Children's Hospital? The first thing you do is assign them Carol Segroves as their child's nurse.
There was a neurologically devastated 17-year-old young man surviving twin from a tragic twin-to-twin transfusion. He survived a stroke in utero to be completely dependent on care, even needing a kidney transplant. In March, he began seizing at home and due to a lingering animosity to ETCH, his father placed him in their family car and drove them to UT emergency room. Because the PICU doesn't admit medical patients or kidney transplant patients and because UT refused to admit him to the adult floors, he was forced to come to ETCH.
Now we have a very sick boy in status epilepticus requiring an infusion to control his high blood pressure in the PICU with parents who don't want to be here. Carol took the short straw and began to care for him in the special way she does for every child in her care. She didn't stop with the patient, she supported the family, answered their questions, and allowed them to participate in his care. She answered more questions and provided the absolute best and safest care possible. They trust her and because they trust her, they grew to trust the other nurses. The whole team takes it upon themselves to make the family believe in the care that their child is being provided.
I could say that this was an unusual occurrence in the course of Carol's nursing career, but it definitely is not. She mentors new staff and puts the needs of others before her own. She will come in and work extra when the needs are the greatest.
I receive an email from a doctor who wanted me to know that the family had told him about what a wonderful job Carol had done with their son, but also that they knew this was the right place for their son to be. Nothing more needs to be said except that Carol is a true DAISY Nurse!