Sarah Sforza
May 2015
Sarah
Sforza
,
RN, BSN
Burn Unit
Bridgeport Hospital at Yale New Haven Health System
Bridgeport
,
CT
United States

 

 

 

I would like to recognize Sara from the Burn Unit for a patient that we cared for together. The patient had arrived earlier in the day with a very severe critical burn. We were doing the initial dressing changes and Sara knew that I sometimes have a hard time seeing this type of wound. Sara spent 2 1/2 hours changing the patient's dressings making sure the patient got the absolute best care. Though the patient was very sedated she reassured him that it would get better from here. Moreover, Sara continued to ask if I was okay. She wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the extent of the wound care being performed. A burn survivor myself, I have a first hand understanding of how painful and debilitating burns can be. Sara knew this and went above and beyond not only showing compassion and understanding to the patient but also to me. Sara and I worked really hard not only to keep the patient hemodynamically stable, but just simply to keep him alive. The patient was so lucky to be able to have such a wonderful caregiver and now that I think about it, I was as well. Sara is an example of the compassion we should strive for as caregivers.