I am a staff nurse in Women's Health Services. I want to take the time and recognize Oberenachi on D7N for the excellent care she provided my father. D7N has many nurses who provided attentive care for my father; however,Oberenachi went above and beyond the call of duty.
My father was admitted to the hospital for altered status and a UTI. I recall stepping onto the unit for the first time, anxious about my father's condition. I was greeted by Oberenachi's very busy energy and generous smile. She didn't say much, but her careful assessment and meaningful questions for my father and my family displayed that she is a professional who prioritizes family-centered care.
I watched my immobile father writhe on the hospital bed in massive pain. I called the doctor to assess my father's pain. However, the doctor, not understanding that the demented patient has difficulty communicating pain on a scale of 1-10, provided my father with Tylenol for moderate pain. The other nurses tried to reach out and help my dad, but my father remained in unrelieved pain for two days.Oberenachi advocated for my father and explained to the medical team that the standard pain scale was inappropriate for a dementia patient and that there was a specific pain medication for penile pain that, in her experience, works wonders. She was met with resistance, however. Utilizing critical thinking, evidence-based practice, advocacy, and compassionate care, she insisted my father receive the medication that he needed. I think you can understand the happiness I felt as a nurse and daughter when my father reported he finally had a good night's sleep, free of pain. I am absolutely proud to know that I work with people likeOberenachi at Kings County.