People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel -Maya Angelo
The above quote is exactly what occurred on 5 Central. It was a normal busy day on 5C but what was different about this day was the large amount of COVID patients on the unit. Visitors were restricted to visit their family members due to the CDC restrictions/guidlines but this did not keep one nurse from making sure every patient who was COVID positive was welcomed to the unit with a smile. She would visit each room daily to ensure each of them felt loved and safe. One afternoon we received an admission to the unit which was COVID positive. This nurse immediately went to perform the admission to help her other colleagues out and noticed the patient was not doing well. She took it upon herself to contact the doctor to get appropriate measures in place for his care.
A couple of days later this same nurse who ensures she rounds each day on her patients, noticed a change in the patient she admitted. She walked out of the room to find the physician who was overseeing his care. The physician stated he was being moved to hospice care and his family had been downstairs trying to get in for the last 30 minutes. She replied, "Oh I did not know this information." She contacted the front entrance and the staff member stated the family members had driven over an hour and are trying to come up to the unit, but visitation is restricted. Jayne Tompkins replied kindly, "please allow the family members to come up to 5C and I will inform my Director of my decision." When the two family members arrived to the unit they walked out of the elevator and looked right at Jayne who was holding all of their PPE gear and the daughter began crying, "You must be Jayne the angel sent from above!" She began to tell Jayne, "We have driven over an hour and we were so scared we were not going to see our dad before he passed". Jayne replied, "I am here for you guys and please allow me to take you to his room but before we go in I want to help you guys get into all the PPE gear the appropriate way." Jayne not only ensured the safety of the visitors but also took extra time to walk into the room with the family members to explain his current status and all the equipment in the room. Shen then allowed the family members to visit with their loved one. The patient passed away right before shift change. Jayne was present in the room holding the hands of the patient and his family members. She worked well beyond her shift on this day to ensure she was there for this family. She even walked them out.
The patient's family later called back and spoke to leadership. They wanted to mention how grateful they were for Jayne who was present on the day their father passed away. The family referred to Jayne as an Angel on earth during one of their darkest days. She provided her shoulder to cry on and the compassion she showed not only to their father but to the two family members was simply life-changing. "Her presence made us feel more at ease with what was transpiring right in front of our faces. Her voice was calm and she never left us. She is a remarkable nurse and we will never forget how she made us feel."
Jayne is an Extraordinary Nurse who places the patient at the center of everything she does and consistently raises the bar for compassionate patient center care. She was the beacon of light to this family during their darkest day and the impact she left on the family is a treasure they will hold in their hearts forever.