Cathy Linn
November 2015
Cathy
Linn
,
RN
Oncology
St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital and Health Care Center
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
...Fearful that an inexperienced nurse might be assigned to my friend, my plan was to stay in the room overnight. I had committed to not leave her side. Within the first hour of Cathy's shift, I knew my friend was in great hands, so much so, that I was confident in leaving her in Cathy's care. I stayed until 10:00 pm. During those three hours, I witnessed exceptional care from Cathy. Don't get me wrong, others were very good, Caring Angel good, but Cathy took it up another level. What made Cathy's care exceptional?
Cathy embodies everything we want our nurses to be and do. She had a full, busy assignment, but Cathy always made my friend feel as if she were the only patient. When Cathy was documenting in the computer and R asked a question, Cathy stopped typing, made eye contact and answered with a smile, often moving toward the bedside for the conversation. Every encounter had some pearl of education. Cathy was quick to say what would happen next and when. She promised to share the results when they were available. I was very impressed with how easy and fluid she was in her delivery of the information.
Cathy followed through on all the promises she made. She was credible and trustworthy. Before Cathy would leave the room she would review the safety precautions with my friend and would scan the room. I knew she was checking for fall hazards, IV status, rails, ice chips, call light and phone within reach, etc., but she did the check in such a subtle way. It wasn't just a checklist of tasks. Before leaving the room she always asked if there was anything else she could do. She reminded my friend to "call for anything" and especially if she needed to get up.
As a nurse educator, I was watching everything with an eagle eye. I am so happy to report that I never saw a safety infraction, not one. Even Dietary used patient identifiers. How awesome is that?! When I asked my friend about her perception of the care she received, she said it was "extraordinary". Service like this is a reflection of the leaders who promote and enable such service.
I bet Cathy will be surprised, believing that what she does for patients isn't all that remarkable. She'd probably say something like, "It's just my job." Cathy is modeling our core values every time she works. She furthers the mission by caring for the vulnerable with integrity and compassion.
Cathy embodies everything we want our nurses to be and do. She had a full, busy assignment, but Cathy always made my friend feel as if she were the only patient. When Cathy was documenting in the computer and R asked a question, Cathy stopped typing, made eye contact and answered with a smile, often moving toward the bedside for the conversation. Every encounter had some pearl of education. Cathy was quick to say what would happen next and when. She promised to share the results when they were available. I was very impressed with how easy and fluid she was in her delivery of the information.
Cathy followed through on all the promises she made. She was credible and trustworthy. Before Cathy would leave the room she would review the safety precautions with my friend and would scan the room. I knew she was checking for fall hazards, IV status, rails, ice chips, call light and phone within reach, etc., but she did the check in such a subtle way. It wasn't just a checklist of tasks. Before leaving the room she always asked if there was anything else she could do. She reminded my friend to "call for anything" and especially if she needed to get up.
As a nurse educator, I was watching everything with an eagle eye. I am so happy to report that I never saw a safety infraction, not one. Even Dietary used patient identifiers. How awesome is that?! When I asked my friend about her perception of the care she received, she said it was "extraordinary". Service like this is a reflection of the leaders who promote and enable such service.
I bet Cathy will be surprised, believing that what she does for patients isn't all that remarkable. She'd probably say something like, "It's just my job." Cathy is modeling our core values every time she works. She furthers the mission by caring for the vulnerable with integrity and compassion.