As I sit and think about what makes a nurse extraordinary or a DAISY Nurse, I think about someone who exhibits extraordinary qualities that makes them not only a valuable asset to the institution in which they work but to the community. My husband and I are both nurses at Vidant Medical Center and love every aspect of our nursing career. My husband, Hunter Venters, has a background in cardiac, trauma, EastCare and now serves as the Unit Educator of EastCare. On Friday, he displayed a love for nursing that I have never personally seen or witnessed due to me being a neonatal nurse. He showed calmness, compassion, intelligence, and critical thinking skills.
On this Friday, we were returning home from picking one of our daughters up from their grandparent's house around 4 pm. The temperature was 90 degrees and we were on Hwy 903 about 30 minutes from our home when we saw a lady laying in the middle of a driveway that had several trees in front of the house and a man standing at the road. My husband quickly turned the car around and drove up to the house. Cars were steadily passing by, but no one was stopping. I was 8 months pregnant and our 2 children were in the back seat of the car - our oldest was awake but youngest was sleeping. The man standing at the road stated that she had fallen and he had called an ambulance. Before we got out of the car, we told our oldest that someone was sick and needed our help and we would be back in a moment. My husband quickly went to this older woman's side and started to talk to her. Seeing a gash across her face that was bleeding, he asked me to grab a towel out of the car. He then placed pressure on her gash and started asking questions including her name, age, current illnesses and what happened. She stated she had fallen over a tree limb and hit her face on the cement and could not get up. She told him she lived alone and had a daughter. He then began to reassure her that help was on the way and that he would be by her side until help arrived. After about 10 minutes, the ambulance arrived and Hunter introduced himself and gave them a very detailed account of what the woman had told us. The EMS workers started doing things to the woman and she looked very confused so my husband took the time to explain in detail everything they were doing so she wouldn't be frightened. This included putting a C-collar around her neck and finding her life alert necklace that was behind her that she could not reach. When it came time to lift the woman and put her on the stretcher, the men told us they no longer used backboards and just used sheets. As we helped to roll her, the woman started to scream in pain. The EMS worker said to keep going but my husband asked them to stop and see if they had an extra sheet so he would be able to lock her hips to tolerate the move. Once the sheet was locked and placed around her hips, the woman was able to be moved without complaint. When they got to the back of the ambulance, Hunter once again made sure EMS and the patient were ok. The EMS workers seemed very grateful for Hunter's assistance, but most importantly, the woman once again grabbed my husband's hand and said thank you. He asked her about locking her front door since no one was home and if there was a number to call a family member. At that time, a woman walked from next door and stated she had her daughter's number and would call her.
This experience allowed me to see my husband use his nursing skills and made me so thankful that I have someone like him by my side. A patient advocate who will reassure me, show compassion, and keep me in a safe environment until help comes.