In the MICU we have had a younger patient for over a week with a serious condition we were not sure that she would survive. Part of her illness involved extreme damage to her skin which appeared to be very uncomfortable and made certain elements of nursing care more difficult. The skin issues were also very upsetting to her family - this poor girl was unrecognizable. Her mother couldn't enter the room without bursting into tears. Brittney was this patient's nurse on two separate occasions. On the first assignment, she was 1 on 1 with the patient for CRRT. That gave her time to provide true intensive care - she bathed the patient carefully and moisturized her skin so thoroughly - the patient looked so much better. Brittney had the patient again a few days later, only this time the patient was 1 of 3 she was assigned to. At time of report the next morning, the patient once again looked amazing. Her face was so much more flexible - she hadn't been able to close her eyes previously. The patient looked so good that I communicated with her mother to send a picture so she could see the improvement.
Brittney is always an amazing nurse. She works hard, she has a positive attitude, and she is a natural teacher to younger nurses on the unit. In this instance, however, I believe she went above and beyond and the family was so grateful. I truly believe that part of the patient's overall improvement was assisted by Brittney's compassionate care.