April Kalthoff, an RN in the E4 med/surg unit was recognized by a patient and his wife for the compassionate care she provided to both of them after his surgery.
"The care I have received from all the nurses on 4E attending to me during my hospital stay was exceptional. I have felt a lot of TLC! There is one RN in particular that I must mention, April Kalthoff. I can't thank her enough for watching over me. April deserves to be recognized. Here's why.
I found myself a patient of April's after major abdominal surgery, which was in itself unsettling as I really haven't experienced major surgery before. My recovery was not going too bad until I developed a very bad case of hiccups. A 10 pain level was not big enough to describe the additional pain these hiccups gave me. I was having a hiccup spell once every 45 minutes. Enter April. She was by my side during a particular horrible and hurtful battle of hiccups. April sat me on the side of the bed, observed me by watching everything I did, the way I was reacting, witnessing the amount of pain I was in. She then, unbeknownst to me, contacted my doctor and was instrumental in securing orders for meds that reduced my pain level and eventually reduced the frequency of the hiccups. After surgery no one wants to feel like their insides and staples are ripping apart. Surgery is uncomfortable enough.
April is my hero! Because of her keen observation and her unwavering tenacity to help me by communicating with me, my wife, and my doctor, she saved the day. The whole time I was under the watchful eye and care of April, my recovery benefited.
I also want you to know that she is one of the nicest, most pleasant, and congenial persons I have met. And that just adds to her list of good RN qualities. You can have a good nurse, but to also have one who uses and shows the passion for what she is doing and the conviction to do it responsibly and for the greatest need of her patients is priceless.
As the wife of a patient recovering from more surgery than was originally expected due to findings during the procedure, watching your loved one experience pain is not high on your list of things to do together. It's a horrible feeling when you don't know what to do or and can't do anything to ease the discomfort. It is emotionally draining to sit beside and watch the grimacing and hear the groans. Your heart breaks when something unexpected happens that throws your husband into levels of pain no one ever wants to experience.
Thank God for April Kalthof! April was assigned to the care of my husband when the unexpected happened. Because of her diligence, her observations of my husband's reactions, and her concern for her patient, she was able to obtain additional orders from his doctor that reduced the pain levels and calmed him down. She did this by calling his doctor and reporting all she had observed. Is that extraordinary? Maybe not to you, but this unexpected pain brought on by a horrible series of hiccups was a BIG deal! I will be forever thankful and grateful for the extra care and concern she offered both of us that day. She not only cared for the patient, she also cared for me.
April's skills, bedside manner, understanding, and knowledge of what the patient was going through makes her an exceptional nurse. I thank God he put her in our room on that day. It is an honor to be able to nominate April for the award. She is in the right career field. She is an awesome nurse and I know that many other patients will be touched in good and positive ways by and through her care of them.
You can view a photo slideshow of April's award presentation at HanoverHospital.org/providers/daisy-honorees/april_kalthof_10.aspx