My husband was admitted to 3 East over this past weekend with extreme discomfort from a urinary tract/bladder infection. During this time, the weekend team did an excellent job tending to his medical needs. They treated him with great kindness, understanding, and professional skills. On Monday, following his "emergency" surgery of Sunday morning, Marlene, the floor nurse assigned to this hospital section, kept on her toes to be certain all the patients in her charge had their medical needs addressed in a timely fashion.
All the hours of Monday and Tuesday that I spent with my husband, Marlene periodically stopped in to see that we both were comfortable. Having heard that my husband grew up not very far from where she was raised, Marlene treated my husband to conversation about the Philadelphia area. I observed, during these exchanges, the calmness that came over my husband and he delighted in the fact that Marlene was sharing these experiences.
It was these moments of common ground that "centered" my husband and allowed the Nurse/patient trust relationship to take place. I was also put at ease during these talks and enjoyed the reactions of both of them. Good medicine doesn't always take the form of a pill or an injection…it can just be friendly banter.
Marlene carried a busy patient load, but always took whatever time was necessary to tend to all of her charges, my husband included. I was impressed with her professionalism and her skills as a Nurse. For all the reasons I outlined above, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Marlene.