Although it's long overdue, I wanted to recognize Valerie for the outstanding, compassionate care she provided to me during my hospitalization at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center.
During my emergency hospitalization for a Hartmann surgery, I was at my worse. I was in physical pain, always tired, often sad and in disbelief that I would be using a colostomy pouch for at least three months - assuming all went well. I was not an easy to care for patient and later ashamed that I didn't treat some of those who cared for me better.
During my ten-day hospital stay, there were at least four different nurses assigned to be my primary nurse during their shift. When I brought concerns to some of the other nurses such as a problem with an IV I had accidentally ripped out in my sleep or an IV machine beeping all night making it difficult to sleep, the problems were often not quickly addressed, shifted to someone else or a workaround was provided, rather than a long-term solution. This was never the case with Valerie. Of all those nurses, it quickly became apparent that Ms. Valerie Felipe stood out above the rest and was performing on another level.
What makes Ms. Felipe so extraordinary is that not only is she extremely intelligent with a lot of common sense, but she is also very compassionate, caring and takes pride in her work. She made me feel as if I was her only patient by always being responsive, aware of what I might need without being asked, thorough, and never acting as if I was asking too much of her.
Some of the many examples that made Ms. Valerie Felipe stand out as being so special is that every night my gown would get soaking wet from night sweats. As a result, I would get cold and it made it even more challenging to sleep. Of all the night shift nurses, she was the only one who noticed it and/or cared enough to change my gown and sheets without being asked. After about a week, my wristband became damaged and was no longer able to be scanned without multiple attempts by the nurses when administering medication. When she encountered this issue the first time, rather than wasting time unsuccessfully trying to scan my wristband as others had, Ms. Felipe took a couple of minutes to resolve the problem by replacing the damaged one with a new wristband she printed, thus increasing efficiency and saving her and others time.
While completing my discharge and related paperwork, Ms. Valerie Felipe correctly sensed that I would not follow the do not drive guidelines upon release and would drive to the pharmacy to obtain my blood pressure reducing medication that day. To eliminate that possibility, she went above and beyond the call of duty and had the prescription filled at the onsite pharmacy and put it in my hand before I left.
Ms. Felipe is an amazing RN and a great asset to Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. She is a role model for other nurses at this facility. I'm confident she will advance professionally very quickly and should be both recognized for her contribution to the success of the organization.