Maggie Schoenfeld
January 2019
Maggie
Schoenfeld
,
BSN, RN
Cardiothoracic Surgery Progressive Care
The University of Kansas Health System
Kansas City
,
KS
United States
As a nurse we always think about what could possibly go wrong when we are caring for our patients. We are told to plan for the unexpected. However, we never expect that one day we will become the patient. Changing roles from nurse to patient was possibly one of the hardest things I had to go through, and I could not have done it without the help of Maggie Schoenfeld.
As a fellow colleague, I knew she was a great worker and cared for her patients. However now becoming one of her patients, I saw just how true this was. Finding myself, who was once a very active person, could no longer walk to the bathroom without having to sit down and catch my breath. You can imagine this was very scary and upsetting for me, a 20 something year old male who doesn't really like asking for help. I found myself kneeling in the hallway panting for breath, scared, and upset because I was told I was being sent home even though I still felt sick. Maggie walking out of another patients' room saw me, walked over sat down on a couch near where I was kneeling and began talking to me calming me down. I could feel tears coming as she told me she was in my corner and would do what was best for me. Making me feel like I still had some power in my life, like someone still cared. Maggie helped me back to my room and ended up calling the doctor demanding someone come see me now, even though they had discharged me, and convinced them to take a second look.
Maggie not only cared for me but also my whole family. Coming in just to check on us or talk. Trying to make us feel as normal as possible. Maggie offered to go down to the cafeteria for me when my food came up wrong. She brought in several warm blankets to help me feel comfortable. These are just several examples of how she cared for me.
As a nurse, we tend to like control and want to see what's coming next, as a patient we don't always get that luxury, and this was a very hard lesson for me to learn. Yet with Maggie on my side I knew I could overcome anything. Maggie went out of her way in caring for me, she made me feel not as if I was a helpless patient, but as a friend she truly did care about.
As a fellow colleague, I knew she was a great worker and cared for her patients. However now becoming one of her patients, I saw just how true this was. Finding myself, who was once a very active person, could no longer walk to the bathroom without having to sit down and catch my breath. You can imagine this was very scary and upsetting for me, a 20 something year old male who doesn't really like asking for help. I found myself kneeling in the hallway panting for breath, scared, and upset because I was told I was being sent home even though I still felt sick. Maggie walking out of another patients' room saw me, walked over sat down on a couch near where I was kneeling and began talking to me calming me down. I could feel tears coming as she told me she was in my corner and would do what was best for me. Making me feel like I still had some power in my life, like someone still cared. Maggie helped me back to my room and ended up calling the doctor demanding someone come see me now, even though they had discharged me, and convinced them to take a second look.
Maggie not only cared for me but also my whole family. Coming in just to check on us or talk. Trying to make us feel as normal as possible. Maggie offered to go down to the cafeteria for me when my food came up wrong. She brought in several warm blankets to help me feel comfortable. These are just several examples of how she cared for me.
As a nurse, we tend to like control and want to see what's coming next, as a patient we don't always get that luxury, and this was a very hard lesson for me to learn. Yet with Maggie on my side I knew I could overcome anything. Maggie went out of her way in caring for me, she made me feel not as if I was a helpless patient, but as a friend she truly did care about.