My experience and stay here at Winchester Hospital was riddled with emotions from past experiences, many years ago. I went through the usual fears and anxieties and was faced with some good staff and one great staff. Lucky for me, on the first full day of my admission I was assigned to Tara, RN. She was exceptionally thorough in her handling of my care and the only person to get and give me the supplements I normally take. The most dramatic compassion shown to me came later in the day when a roommate came in and we were to share a bathroom. My immediate reaction was; with my current condition and my compromised immune system, I was not going to share a bathroom with a stranger who is also compromised. I talked with my adult daughters and my brother and had decided I would be leaving AMA and going to a Boston hospital. I decided to first wait and talk with my nurse, Tara, when she returned from lunch. I told Tara my concerns and my plans and she asked me to please wait just a minute. Within 10 minutes I was gathered up and moved into a private room and was comforting and reassuring, never questioning my concerns.
The entire ordeal had left me feeling overwhelmed, tearful, fearful and anxious. I feared being labeled and treated differently by staff. Tara recognized my continued dismay and she and her nurse manager came to my room and listened intently to my story and my reasoning for my actions and emotions. They never tried to cover themselves or the hospital, they simply showed me compassion, caring, and understanding. Tara is an asset to nursing and has restored my belief in mankind. As an LMHC, I show compassion and understanding to others every day, unfortunately, I am rarely shown the same. Thank you, Tara, for your kindness, your professionalism, your compassion and for being a remarkable human being!
Note: This is Tara's 3rd DAISY Award!