The patient is an elderly gentleman who has been dealing with mental health issues. His daughter has been the main caregiver for her father and she has struggled with not being able to get him the appropriate mental health care that she felt he needs. He has been seen by several neurologists and other providers but up until this point, they haven't been able to get him access to appropriate mental health specialists. Sue was involved with helping to establish follow-up care for the patient. The daughter spoke to Sue several times and she expressed to Sue how frustrating and upsetting it has been to not have access to the help that her father needed. She stated that she felt like no one was willing to help her. This was when Sue told her, "Well, I will help you."
Because of Sue's willingness to help this patient, he has just been admitted to a psychiatric unit where he is going to get the necessary help to deal with his illness. I cannot imagine the number of phone calls and follow-ups required of Sue to get this patient the access that he needed, but she managed to make it happen. The daughter called me today to explain the situation and to express just how grateful she is for the help and hope that Sue has given her father. She said that through this frustrating experience she has dealt with people that she felt didn't really care about her father. But Sue demonstrated just how much she cared about the patient and his situation. She said that Sue went above and beyond and that she will be forever grateful for the support that Sue provided.
Sue is a phenomenal nurse and I am not surprised at all to receive such heart-warming feedback about her level of dedication to our patients. She goes above and beyond every day for the patients that she interacts with. Sue greatly deserves to be recognized for her compassion.