Each of our experiences at Children's of Alabama has found us thankful. Thankful for the expertise of the doctors. The care and competency among the nurses and ancillary staff members. The attention to detail that the facility/maintenance/housekeeping give day in and day out. I could write about a number of people like the lady in the 2nd-floor café or who I believe is the CEO who stands at the crosswalk during the morning shift change thanking one group for what they have done while saying "good morning" to the incoming shift. You don't have to look far to see that there is a positive culture at Children's of Alabama and that does not happen by accident. It takes a lot of people pulling in the same direction.
I want to recognize one person whom I have observed to exemplify the Children's of Alabama culture. Just today I observed him serve as a role model for the nursing profession, demonstrating a caring attitude in several situations, communicating with compassion, and making a significant difference in the life of my little girl. He was a role model for the profession as he demonstrated a caring attitude and communicated with compassion. When we made it to the floor, he was not only there to greet us and provide great care, but he also informed us that he would have a new nurse that was training with him. In every interaction, he showed himself to be a gifted orientate/trainer. I am confident that he could have run through the checklist and room set-ups thus allowing her to work on her professional competencies as well as her interpersonal communication skills. It was a clear display of the training strategy. I do...you watch. I do....you help. You do....I watch. You do....I help. He was so gifted at knowing the appropriate step his trainee was on, thus he knew exactly where he needed to be and how he could best help her grow. And all of this was done with a level of care and compassion for his colleague. That is to be commended.
He also demonstrated a caring attitude, communicated with compassion, and made a difference in the life of his patient. I could list several examples, but the one I'd like to reference is regarding a simple syringe. For some, this might be a small thing, but it was more than a syringe. It was about seeing his patient and using his experiences to know what would really be helpful. My daughter had a fairly invasive surgery on her mouth which was going to make it tough to drink, so instead of just getting her a drink, he brought in a syringe that was soft flexible and took the time to explain why he brought it and how it might help her better access fluids. You see, it wasn't about the syringe. That would have been great in and of itself. It was about him really seeing his patient- of which he was sure to consistently call her by her name thus contributing to her worth and value. And you know what, his idea worked. It got her drinking. Consequently, it got her walking. It was the reason when he came to tell her "goodnight" that she looked at him, gave him the best "I'm still groggy from the pain medicine" smile she could, and a thumbs up to let him know that she was ok. I have no doubt Al cares that she is okay, and not only does he care, but at every opportunity, he helped make that a reality.
Note: This is Al's 2nd DAISY Award!