Emily Kelly
May 2014
Emily
Kelly
,
BSN, RN
Surgical Telemetry Unit
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
,
PA
United States
Emily Kelly is an exceptional nurse on Silverstein 12. Although she is still a relatively new nurse, she has shown incredible commitment and enthusiasm during her time here. Emily is a member of the quality core council and an excellent preceptor to new nurses, but above all, Emily is a compassionate and invested patient advocate.
Recently, Emily had a chronically ill patient whose quality of life was suffering. He had been in and out of the hospital multiple times, sometimes staying for months at a time. He had a very complicated abdominal wound and a poor prognosis. Despite this, his primary team continued to push aggressive treatments, seemingly without discussing them with the patient or his wife, who spent hours at his side while he suffered from exhaustion and excruciating pain.
Emily developed a close relationship with the patient and his wife and began to understand all the complex problems that the patient's illness had caused: the couple was in bankruptcy, they were forced to sell their home, the patient's wife had to move in with family friends. Emily felt deeply for the couple and she asked the primary team whether they had discussed palliative care with the patient. The intern told Emily that palliative care was not an option and would not be discussed with the patient. Emily worried that this was not in the best interest of the patient, so she sought out the Silver 12 management team. At her urging, Meghan called the attending and spoke to her at length about the situation. The attending clarified that the patient had been queried about his goals of care and had expressed an interest to continue aggressive treatment and rehabilitation. This information set Emily and the rest of the floor staff at ease. As long as the patient had voiced a desire to continue with the set treatment plan, Emily was on board.
This is just one example of how Emily's nursing practice is guided by a desire to provide patient and family centered care. She feels deeply for her patients and works tirelessly to ensure that they get the best care possible.
Recently, Emily had a chronically ill patient whose quality of life was suffering. He had been in and out of the hospital multiple times, sometimes staying for months at a time. He had a very complicated abdominal wound and a poor prognosis. Despite this, his primary team continued to push aggressive treatments, seemingly without discussing them with the patient or his wife, who spent hours at his side while he suffered from exhaustion and excruciating pain.
Emily developed a close relationship with the patient and his wife and began to understand all the complex problems that the patient's illness had caused: the couple was in bankruptcy, they were forced to sell their home, the patient's wife had to move in with family friends. Emily felt deeply for the couple and she asked the primary team whether they had discussed palliative care with the patient. The intern told Emily that palliative care was not an option and would not be discussed with the patient. Emily worried that this was not in the best interest of the patient, so she sought out the Silver 12 management team. At her urging, Meghan called the attending and spoke to her at length about the situation. The attending clarified that the patient had been queried about his goals of care and had expressed an interest to continue aggressive treatment and rehabilitation. This information set Emily and the rest of the floor staff at ease. As long as the patient had voiced a desire to continue with the set treatment plan, Emily was on board.
This is just one example of how Emily's nursing practice is guided by a desire to provide patient and family centered care. She feels deeply for her patients and works tirelessly to ensure that they get the best care possible.