Janet Russell-Duggan
October 2013
Janet
Russell-Duggan
,
RN, CN3
Ortho/Neuro - Surgical
Maine Medical Center
Portland
,
ME
United States
Janet Russell-Duggan deserves the DAISY Award because of her amazing compassionate care for a patient she recently worked with. Her day began as a difficult one when she was assigned to care for a patient that she knew as a friend from her home town. She also knew the wife well. The patient was hospitalized after he became paralyzed from a back injury. Needless to say, this event was creating serious challenges to the coping skills for both the husband and the wife.
Because she knew the couple well, Janet struggled with the assignment and asked to be relieved of the assignment. The charge nurse volunteered to manage the personal care for the patient.
However, the patient required assistance emergently and Janet rolled up her sleeves and gave the patient discrete compassionate care for a very private hygienic occurrence. Janet never let the patient or his wife feel her discomfort but delivered excellent personal care.
The day took an unexpected turn as the patient coded and after 45 long minutes of resuscitation the patient died.
Janet not only had to care for the patient and his personal needs, but remained engaged through his very turbulent demise. Not only was Janet able to put her personal feelings aside and deliver outstanding care she also performed the sensitive task of post mortem care. Janet struggled with a delicate balance of patient needs and the wife's emotional needs throughout the events of the afternoon.
Janet described her last few moments with the wife struggling with the day's events as the "longest walk down the hall that seemed to have no end." Neither of the childhood friends ever imagined they would share such a devastating experience.
Janet took the extra effort and never shied away from her duties and never allowed the patient or family to know how difficult it was for her keeping the family needs as her focus. Janet demonstrated dedicated and compassionate care if only for a few brief last hours of the patient's life and the final hours the wife had with her husband. Despite the challenge of caring for someone she knew personally, Janet was able to have an impact on the wife's ability to cope with such a devastating life event. A bond was created between two women that will last a life time in their hearts. These are the gifts a nurse can bring to the care she delivers to both the patient and the family.
Because she knew the couple well, Janet struggled with the assignment and asked to be relieved of the assignment. The charge nurse volunteered to manage the personal care for the patient.
However, the patient required assistance emergently and Janet rolled up her sleeves and gave the patient discrete compassionate care for a very private hygienic occurrence. Janet never let the patient or his wife feel her discomfort but delivered excellent personal care.
The day took an unexpected turn as the patient coded and after 45 long minutes of resuscitation the patient died.
Janet not only had to care for the patient and his personal needs, but remained engaged through his very turbulent demise. Not only was Janet able to put her personal feelings aside and deliver outstanding care she also performed the sensitive task of post mortem care. Janet struggled with a delicate balance of patient needs and the wife's emotional needs throughout the events of the afternoon.
Janet described her last few moments with the wife struggling with the day's events as the "longest walk down the hall that seemed to have no end." Neither of the childhood friends ever imagined they would share such a devastating experience.
Janet took the extra effort and never shied away from her duties and never allowed the patient or family to know how difficult it was for her keeping the family needs as her focus. Janet demonstrated dedicated and compassionate care if only for a few brief last hours of the patient's life and the final hours the wife had with her husband. Despite the challenge of caring for someone she knew personally, Janet was able to have an impact on the wife's ability to cope with such a devastating life event. A bond was created between two women that will last a life time in their hearts. These are the gifts a nurse can bring to the care she delivers to both the patient and the family.