Rikki Williams
January 2015
Rikki
Williams
,
ADN, RN
PACU
WellStar Paulding Hospital
Hiram
,
GA
United States
... During pre-admission teaching, we were made aware that one of the first patients in our new hospital was going to be an 8 year old autistic boy scheduled to have a tonsillectomy. Being in a new hospital with a new computer system, we were asking patients to come to the hospital 2 hours prior to their surgery time to make sure everything was done.
The morning of our first day a nervous mom brought her son 3 hours prior to his surgery. He arrived in a very rambunctious mood. Singing and skipping down the hallway. His mom apologized (a number of times, in fact) for his behavior though we continually assured her he was not causing any problems for us.
After we completed our pre-operative assessment, which took only about 30 minutes, our small friend was entertained by his iPad for approximately 10 minutes when he began getting out of bed and running in the hallways. Knowing there were other patients in the department, Rikki stepped into the room and for two and a half hours she entertained him. She colored with him. She let him use her stethoscope to assess his family and her. She took him on a tour of our new hospital and let him use her badge to open the doors (all safe, of course). He found a balloon on a sign which she untied and gave to him to bring back to his room. She played hide-and-seek with him in his room when they returned. And many other entertaining games until it was time for him to have surgery.
As a nurse, I was amazed at her patience and compassion. As an aunt of a little boy with autism, I was tearful and appreciative. I looked into the room throughout the morning and watched an amazing nurse go above and beyond for a child with an inability to sit still and I thought of my nephew. He has never had surgery but he has been to doctor's offices and, unfortunately, the ER. My sister does not tell me stories about the nurses playing with my nephew or even spending more than a few minutes with him. She tells me stories about ignorance and annoyance and how she can feel that everywhere he goes. So on behalf of my family, who strongly encouraged me to send in this nomination, I proudly nominate Rikki Williams for the DAISY Award.
The morning of our first day a nervous mom brought her son 3 hours prior to his surgery. He arrived in a very rambunctious mood. Singing and skipping down the hallway. His mom apologized (a number of times, in fact) for his behavior though we continually assured her he was not causing any problems for us.
After we completed our pre-operative assessment, which took only about 30 minutes, our small friend was entertained by his iPad for approximately 10 minutes when he began getting out of bed and running in the hallways. Knowing there were other patients in the department, Rikki stepped into the room and for two and a half hours she entertained him. She colored with him. She let him use her stethoscope to assess his family and her. She took him on a tour of our new hospital and let him use her badge to open the doors (all safe, of course). He found a balloon on a sign which she untied and gave to him to bring back to his room. She played hide-and-seek with him in his room when they returned. And many other entertaining games until it was time for him to have surgery.
As a nurse, I was amazed at her patience and compassion. As an aunt of a little boy with autism, I was tearful and appreciative. I looked into the room throughout the morning and watched an amazing nurse go above and beyond for a child with an inability to sit still and I thought of my nephew. He has never had surgery but he has been to doctor's offices and, unfortunately, the ER. My sister does not tell me stories about the nurses playing with my nephew or even spending more than a few minutes with him. She tells me stories about ignorance and annoyance and how she can feel that everywhere he goes. So on behalf of my family, who strongly encouraged me to send in this nomination, I proudly nominate Rikki Williams for the DAISY Award.