During the month of August, my father was in and out of the Phoebe main campus hospital on four different dates for four different medical challenges. We encountered Christy on a number of occasions, sometimes as our RN and other times as a concerned caregiver sticking her head in dad's room to say hi or coming to the rescue by finding a wheelchair for discharge.
During our 2nd admission, my father was a patient on the 8th floor, and Christy was working. After undergoing a procedure, my dad went into respiratory distress, and it was my mom who made the frantic call to the nurses' station asking for help. Christy was not my dad's nurse; however, within seconds, she came running (literally running) through the door. I happened to be entering the room right behind Christy completely unaware of the situation. Seeing the panic on my mom's face and my dad's condition was shocking for me but what I remember the most about the situation was Christy's calmness.
She quickly accessed my dad, called for the RAT team, and calmly spoke words of reassurance to me and my mom. She was giving instruction to my dad, me, and the staff entering the room without so much as a rise in her voice. She was in complete control of the room and situation. Christy never left my dad's side. Even when they took him to the critical care unit, she walked with him and gave report to the CCU physician. After giving the handoff, she came to the waiting area to give my mom and me a full update. I cannot tell you how thankful we were for Christy that day. She displayed a confidence and control that only a true seasoned caregiver could provide.