November 2019
Janet
Clarke
,
RN, BSN
Emergency Department
Orlando Regional Medical Center
Orlando
,
FL
United States
I would like to recommend Janet the night nurse at ORMC ER for the days she showed extremely compassionate care. We had a patient in the emergency department that had a history of lung cancer. The patient was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolus based on the VQ scan and symptoms of shortness of breath, however, she had never had a CT scan with contrast due to her perceived allergy to contrast that was never found to be real. The patient had previously been admitted to the hospital just days prior, and while in her hospital stay was begged by multiple doctors and nurses to undergo the CT scan but the patient refused to because of her fear. Janet, spoke to the patient and assured the patient that she will be safe during the CT scan, and offered to stay in the CT scanner with her just in case she had any side effects from the contrast. Janet was patient even when the patient had multiple episodes of anxiety and thoughts of changing course, Janet was persistent, and the patient eventually conceded to undergoing a CT scan with Janet at her side because she felt comfortable. The CT scan ended up showing that the patient did not have a pulmonary embolus, but rather superior vena cava syndrome. This completely changed the clinical outcome for this patient; the oncology doctor could not believe when I told him that the patient underwent a CT scan. This would not have been possible without Janet's persistent compassionate care, and her patience with someone with severe anxiety.