Whitney McMullen
December 2019
Whitney
Mcmullen
,
RN
Med/Surg - 3South
Ascension Providence
Waco
,
TX
United States
I want to let you know about the experience we had on our recent ED visit and hospitalization. In September my son was shot in the hand with a 22 rifle. Even though it was a trauma, as a nurse at Providence, I had the utmost confidence in the care that we would receive. I made the decision to have M checked out by our physicians, and if needed be transferred to Hillcrest. Because of the wonderful care from the House Supervisor, ED doctor and surgeon we were put on 3S to be monitored.
Most importantly, we wanted to tell you about the care we received from Whitney McMullen, RN on 3 South. She had the hardest job ever that night. She was responsible for keeping us calm, and also constantly monitoring my son's hand for compartment syndrome. Every two hours, she had to wake my son up, remove his Lego, undress his hand, and do a full assessment to check for problems. She would come in so quietly and wake us up to explain everything she was about to do. This caused so much pain to my son, but Whitney worked hard to make it as tolerable as possible. She explained she would give his pain medicine and wait for it to work before reassessing his wounds. I cannot tell you enough how amazing she was! She didn't treat me like a fellow nurse or a leader, she treated me as a mom. Whitney let me ask a million questions and was always kind and thoughtful. She kept me from feeling like I needed to go into "nurse mode," and allowed me to focus on my number one responsibility, being a mom. She is a mom too, and I believe in those moments, she had great empathy for me and how scared I was. We could not have asked for a better nurse to care for M that night. Not only did she meet every need we had, she did it before we even knew we needed it. She was so calming and so considerate. But what I'll always remember is her empathy and compassion.
I don't know how many patients she had, but I know that I never had to use the call button and never questioned her abilities or the care she provided my son. We are so thankful for the care we received from everyone those two days and will continue to praise the wonderful care team and the excellent care and attention they gave.
Most importantly, we wanted to tell you about the care we received from Whitney McMullen, RN on 3 South. She had the hardest job ever that night. She was responsible for keeping us calm, and also constantly monitoring my son's hand for compartment syndrome. Every two hours, she had to wake my son up, remove his Lego, undress his hand, and do a full assessment to check for problems. She would come in so quietly and wake us up to explain everything she was about to do. This caused so much pain to my son, but Whitney worked hard to make it as tolerable as possible. She explained she would give his pain medicine and wait for it to work before reassessing his wounds. I cannot tell you enough how amazing she was! She didn't treat me like a fellow nurse or a leader, she treated me as a mom. Whitney let me ask a million questions and was always kind and thoughtful. She kept me from feeling like I needed to go into "nurse mode," and allowed me to focus on my number one responsibility, being a mom. She is a mom too, and I believe in those moments, she had great empathy for me and how scared I was. We could not have asked for a better nurse to care for M that night. Not only did she meet every need we had, she did it before we even knew we needed it. She was so calming and so considerate. But what I'll always remember is her empathy and compassion.
I don't know how many patients she had, but I know that I never had to use the call button and never questioned her abilities or the care she provided my son. We are so thankful for the care we received from everyone those two days and will continue to praise the wonderful care team and the excellent care and attention they gave.