Every nurse knows our job is tough, and it can be hard to maintain positivity every day. Hellen is one of those extraordinary nurses that, no matter how tough her day is, she is always positive and compassionate.
Recently, Hellen was caring for a patient who had an old, non-working fistula as well as a new fistula in his arm. During her assessment, she noted his arm was bluish and cool. The physician in the room stated he felt a pulse and his arm was fine. Hellen again assessed for a pulse and could not locate one. She grabbed a portable doppler and had difficulty locating a weak pulse. Hellen then paged the attending and requested he assess the patient and perhaps order imaging. The patient's arterial doppler showed severe stenosis, cardio-vascular surgery was consulted, and the patient had surgery to restore blood flow.
I had the pleasure of rounding on this patient and he could not express enough his gratitude for Hellen's knowledge, care, and persistence. He told me, "She just wouldn't stop. She pushed and pushed and thanks to her we caught this. She's my angel." The patient told me he often apologized for needing so much attention and Hellen's response was always, "It's my pleasure to take care of you".
Luckily for our patients, this is not an unusual occurrence for Hellen. She gives every patient 100% of her compassion every time she cares for them.