February 2020
Stacy
Sloan
,
RN
ED
Wake Forest Baptist Health-Davie Medical Center
Bermuda Run
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago, a patient was brought into the ED by local law enforcement. He was a high profile patient and all the staff had already seen news stories about him. He was accused of horrendous and scary violent crimes. Some staff were anxious about caring for him. The E team worked well together to care for the patient. One nurse stood out. Stacy cared for this patient in a compassionate manner. She explained each procedure to him, she explained the cleaning of his wounds, the suturing of them, the meds, etc. she described this gently and kindly because the patient could not easily maneuver due to handcuffs and shackles that were required by the bedside law enforcement. Stacy went the extra mile to ensure the patient was treated with dignity and compassion. As the patient was being led away by law enforcement, he turned away and said, "Thank you for everything, ma'am." Stacy truly showed the spirit of a professional nurse. She treated this man as a person and not as a criminal. She sought to listen to his concerns and meet his needs. Her heart and love of nursing are evident.