Megan O'Connell
May 2016
Megan
O'Connell
,
BSN, RN
Orthopedic, Med/Surg
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital
Charlottesville
,
VA
United States
This past week my mother was a patient in your hospital. I spent a considerable amount of time with her, thanks to your generous visiting policy, and I wanted to tell you what I am sure you already know, that you have a great group of people working for you. The assistants were so helpful, and every nurse we worked with was great.
Mostly though, I want to tell you about Megan, the RN we had the good fortune to be paired with for three days straight. Mom is 80, has dementia, and had been admitted to the hospital with a broken hip. By the time I met Megan, we had decided on comfort care for her until we could arrange for a transfer into hospice at her home.
Megan made me feel like mom was her only patient. Although I know she was juggling multiple responsibilities daily, she was always confident and calm when she walked into our room. She listened to me, asking questions about how I perceived mom's pain level. When I had a concern about what I thought might be hives on mom's forehead, she relayed that to the doctor. She always treated mom with respect. Mom is not very communicative but Megan still saw the person in the room and not the symptoms to be treated. She joked with her and always explained exactly what she was going to do before she did it.
Megan is a problem-solver. Mom had some bouts of itchiness that were causing her distress. Megan alerted the doctor and got medication prescribed to make her more comfortable. She was the one who told the doctor that mom seemed painful and suggested to him that mom's morphine might need to be increased. When mom still had a PICC line in a couple days after it was no longer needed, Megan got the orders to remove it and actually did the work herself even though her shift had already ended. Everything about her is patient-centered. She is approachable and professional, and she made a difficult time in our lives a little easier.
On the last day we were in the hospital, I heard my mother, who rarely deviates from a small number of phrases, say, "They take good care of me here." Yes they do.
Mostly though, I want to tell you about Megan, the RN we had the good fortune to be paired with for three days straight. Mom is 80, has dementia, and had been admitted to the hospital with a broken hip. By the time I met Megan, we had decided on comfort care for her until we could arrange for a transfer into hospice at her home.
Megan made me feel like mom was her only patient. Although I know she was juggling multiple responsibilities daily, she was always confident and calm when she walked into our room. She listened to me, asking questions about how I perceived mom's pain level. When I had a concern about what I thought might be hives on mom's forehead, she relayed that to the doctor. She always treated mom with respect. Mom is not very communicative but Megan still saw the person in the room and not the symptoms to be treated. She joked with her and always explained exactly what she was going to do before she did it.
Megan is a problem-solver. Mom had some bouts of itchiness that were causing her distress. Megan alerted the doctor and got medication prescribed to make her more comfortable. She was the one who told the doctor that mom seemed painful and suggested to him that mom's morphine might need to be increased. When mom still had a PICC line in a couple days after it was no longer needed, Megan got the orders to remove it and actually did the work herself even though her shift had already ended. Everything about her is patient-centered. She is approachable and professional, and she made a difficult time in our lives a little easier.
On the last day we were in the hospital, I heard my mother, who rarely deviates from a small number of phrases, say, "They take good care of me here." Yes they do.