June 2018
Lindsay
Shinkle
,
RN
ICU
Terre Haute Regional Hospital
Terre Haute
,
IN
United States
We would like to take a moment to recognize the efforts of two of our nurses in ICU who went above and beyond to improve a patient's experience. We had a patient arrive in our ER by EMS with complaints of midsternal epigastric pain and a feeling of having food stuck in his throat after he had eaten in a local restaurant. He had a similar experience 20 years ago, however, this time after further testing he was found to have a large esophageal tear. This man was from out of state visiting for business and had no one with him. He was well aware of his condition and after further review from physicians in the morning, it was determined he needed to transfer for further care. During his stay, our nurses not only assessed his physical state but also recognized the fact that he was stressed and nervous regarding his condition. He recognized that he had no friends or family close by or available to come to the area and that all his belongings were in a restaurant parking lot and he was about to be transferred to another city. Our nurses calmed his nerves during their shift and reassured him he had nothing to worry about. After clocking out, they drove to the restaurant together and picked up his car and gathered all his belongings. They made sure he was aware of where they placed his car in the parking lot of the hospital and ensured he had everything out of it that he needed. When rounding with this patient he expressed relief and gratitude towards Maggie and Lindsay, who helped make a stressful situation easier.