Jennifer was the first oncology nurse hired for our new oncology department. She brought to our team great oncology experience and knowledge. She was instrumental in assisting the team with the startup of our unit. Her love and compassion for our patients are demonstrated every single day. Jennifer is consistently going above and beyond to help all of our patients.
One of the many scenarios where her compassion really shined was when we had a team member who was very sick and came into the clinic to see the physician as a new patient. The oncology team quickly realized just how sick she really was and needed to be transferred to one of our sister hospitals for a higher level of care. This patient was very scared and hesitant to go. Jennifer knew that the patient needed to be transferred and stayed with the patient to assure her that transferring was the best option for her. They recognized that she really needed to be transported with assistance, so she helped make arrangements for our local medical transport team to come and take her to the other facility. She also knew that it would be later before they could pick her up for transport. But no worry from Jennifer, she insisted on staying with the patient several hours after her shift ended because her love and compassion for the patient is her top priority. She knew the patient needed comforting and reassurance, so she stayed with the patient to make sure she would not be alone.
Another scenario that clearly demonstrates Jennifer's compassion was when she cared for several oxygen-dependent community residents during Hurricane Florence this year. In our rural community, many citizens did not have any means to maintain their oxygen supply at home so they came to our hospital for help. During this storm and several days after, these patients were placed in the oncology clinic area so they would have access to oxygen. Jennifer came in to help her team members and care for these citizens. She made sure they had food and the medications that they needed. Without full air conditioning in the hospital, she took the time to help them bathe so that they would feel better as well. She treated them like family. Jennifer is always compassionate and going beyond what is expected for every single patient every day!