Lynne White is the kind of special nurse that always takes the time to know her patients and meet as many of their needs as possible.

We have many very challenging patients we care for on R6. Often these unique patients require extra attention and care beyond the usual. One particular young woman was admitted to have a shunt revision. She was mentally challenged with a multitude of challenging physical disabilities that demanded careful consideration for safety. The most striking aspect of this patient was she loved babies.

She arrived with her own baby doll wrapped in a blanket snugly tucked into the stroller and insisted the baby needed what all babies need. Everyone on the unit knew when the patient arrived because there was a lot of commotion around her admission. The patient conversation was often loud and emotional as she demanded to have her needs met as well as her baby's needs. Because the patient projected her own feelings through the baby, it was important for the nurse to respect the patient's feelings regarding her baby. The nurse needed to be able to do this without hesitation.

Her nurse that day was Lynne White. She made certain that all the needs were met for both baby and "Mom". Lynne called BBCH and was able to have diapers available, a bassinet and whatever the "Mom" needed to keep her baby safe always keeping in mind to meet the needs of the "Mom" as well.

The staff on R6 were aware of patient's history and recognized that she would need special consideration of care. On a previous admission the patient had aggressive outbursts where she actually bit one of our nurses. Because of Lynne's delicate and sensitive approach this admission was handled more successfully avoiding confrontation with the staff.

Lynne kept the patient safe throughout her stay and always attended to the patient's very special needs. She always included the baby in her conversation with the patient and treated the doll as though it were a very special newborn. Lynne spent a large share of her time to coordinate all the needs and for the patient's during her lengthy stay. She worked closely with the caregiver daily developing a plan of care that included careful consideration of all the patient's emotional needs all while caring for all the other patients in her assignment.

When the time came to discharge the patient, Lynne devoted almost 4 hours to making all the arrangements to get her home safely. The patient required special teaching to accommodate her special needs and the teaching had to be in collaboration with the home caregiver. Of course, there were all the needs for the baby's return home too. Lynne made sure everything was packed appropriately and the baby was ready for the trip as well. On her way off the unit, the patient noticed a real newborn on the unit and became overly animated and insisted she hold the baby. But Lynne tactfully steered her away telling the patient the baby was very heavy and it wouldn't be safe for her to hold the baby. The patient insisted she walk out on her own steam without the wheelchair and demanded Lynne leave it behind despite her extremely ataix gait. Lynne once again found a way to respect the patient's wishes and dignity while maintaining her safety despite the distraction of a real baby nearby. Lynne escorted the patient down to the lobby where she made sure the patient was safely belted in her seat and the baby was also belted in her car seat.

Lynne went well beyond the usual care delivery with this patient and consequently the patient was able to have a successful course of treatment that made it possible for the patient to return to her home with her caregiver, her baby and dignity intact.