July 2016
Amy
Vanderpool
,
RN
Medical Step Down Unit
The Christ Hospital Health Network
Cincinnati
,
OH
United States
My husband was admitted to Christ due to heart failure. His heart was only pumping at 19% and I really felt like he might not make it home as he was worsening rather than improving. Fortunately, he was able to qualify for the LVAD procedure and is slowly recuperating from the surgery. As of today, he has been at Christ for approximately a month and is expected to stay a couple of weeks longer for rehab.
As you can imagine, it has been very difficult for my husband to be in the hospital for this length of time and undergo such a very painful surgery. It has been physically and emotionally exhausting for me and our daughters. Although we have had positive experiences with many of your staff members, there is one extraordinary nurse who has helped my husband and me through this difficult journey. Her name is Amy and she is an RN on 7 South.
To be completely honest, my husband has been a difficult patient at times. He is exhausted, irritable, and very stubborn. Amy, however, took the time to establish a special relationship with him. It is easy to spend extra time and do special things for those patients who are super pleasant. Amy took the time out of her schedule to provide extra special care for my husband who wasn't always pleasant or easy to work with.
Once she showed him how much she cared, he began to smile when she entered the room and joked with her. She took the time to listen to his worries and concerns and showed compassion and empathy for his suffering. Amy would sit at his bedside and talk with him, me, and our daughters. She would ask how I was doing and I knew she was genuinely concerned.
At one point, he was not eating and this was a big concern to the physicians. She would take the time to make him homemade milkshakes and even brought him a Hershey bar. When he was transferred to ICU, she took the time to call and see how he was doing. She also helped him set up a Skype account on his tablet to communicate with family. My husband did not want to attend the LVAD meeting. Amy convinced him to go and even took time out of her busy schedule to attend the meeting with him.
Amy truly went beyond the call of duty many times during our time at Christ. Each morning as I make the 45-minute drive to Christ to see my husband, I am hoping that she will be his assigned nurse for the day. She has a special way of making the day go well.
As you can imagine, it has been very difficult for my husband to be in the hospital for this length of time and undergo such a very painful surgery. It has been physically and emotionally exhausting for me and our daughters. Although we have had positive experiences with many of your staff members, there is one extraordinary nurse who has helped my husband and me through this difficult journey. Her name is Amy and she is an RN on 7 South.
To be completely honest, my husband has been a difficult patient at times. He is exhausted, irritable, and very stubborn. Amy, however, took the time to establish a special relationship with him. It is easy to spend extra time and do special things for those patients who are super pleasant. Amy took the time out of her schedule to provide extra special care for my husband who wasn't always pleasant or easy to work with.
Once she showed him how much she cared, he began to smile when she entered the room and joked with her. She took the time to listen to his worries and concerns and showed compassion and empathy for his suffering. Amy would sit at his bedside and talk with him, me, and our daughters. She would ask how I was doing and I knew she was genuinely concerned.
At one point, he was not eating and this was a big concern to the physicians. She would take the time to make him homemade milkshakes and even brought him a Hershey bar. When he was transferred to ICU, she took the time to call and see how he was doing. She also helped him set up a Skype account on his tablet to communicate with family. My husband did not want to attend the LVAD meeting. Amy convinced him to go and even took time out of her busy schedule to attend the meeting with him.
Amy truly went beyond the call of duty many times during our time at Christ. Each morning as I make the 45-minute drive to Christ to see my husband, I am hoping that she will be his assigned nurse for the day. She has a special way of making the day go well.