Shawn Fritz showed compassion to a patient at a vulnerable time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a night shift, Fritz was an extra nurse helping with workflow during the beginning stages of the pandemic. A patient, whose condition was deteriorating, was transferred to Critical Care. Fritz was not the primary nurse, but he assisted the receiving nurse with the transfer to get the patient settled. The primary nurse was busy managing the patient's care and having to communicate with multiple doctors and family members. During this time, visitors were not allowed due to COVID-19, unless the patient was at the end of life.
"Within a short time, it was decided that the patient did not want any aggressive measures, and comfort care orders were initiated," Fritz's nominator says. "It was evident that the patient would not make it through the night."
The patient's son lived out of state and would not be coming home, and other family members did not want to risk exposure by coming to the hospital. The primary nurse continued to orchestrate care and tried to sit at the patient's bedside as much as possible. However, multiple tasks were preventing that.
"Shawn stepped in, pulled up a chair, and held the patient's hand until she took her last breath," says his nominator. "The patient's son was so thankful and appreciative to know that someone was at his mother's bedside. It brought him so much peace that she did not die alone."
"Often, people are scared to die alone, and to die alone in a hospital during a pandemic makes it more frightening. Shawn demonstrated kindheartedness to the patient and gave the family an everlasting gift of peace in the midst of grief," his nominator says.