My son M is receiving treatment for leukemia from Strong Hospital in Rochester. He was hospitalized from 5/20/15-1/7/16 leaving him deconditioned and unable to ambulate. There were arrangements made for him to be able to come to Crouse for things that could be treated locally or to stabilize prior to transfer to Strong when need be.
On Thursday 1/21/16 M's PICC line migrated. Mary received word that M was coming in. She met me in the waiting room as I waited for his transport and told me that she had room 16 all ready for him. The benefit of this kind act was that M was not worn out from a long wait and felt strong enough to go the cafeteria for lunch and see some of his Crouse friends. I have worked here almost 20 years and M loves Crouse so this was a special treat for him. Later that evening, M developed a fever and per his oncologist needed to be evaluated so we called an ambulance and came back to Crouse. It was 10 pm and the ED was filled with people including 2 other ambulances that were trying to hand off patients. Jan came over and greeted me and said that she was working on moving patients through. In what I believe to be a relatively short time, Jan came back and put her arm around me and said that they had a room for M to be treated. This meant a lot to me, not because I didn't want to wait with the general population but because M had 4 septic events while he was an inpatient that necessitated trips to the ICU. Sepsis can progress quickly and become life threatening- especially for someone with a compromised immune system like M.
I believe that Mary and Jan excel at their positions and exemplify the virtues of nursing. They are able to see the larger picture of what needs to be addressed, prioritize those needs and provide for seamless care. Thank you to both.