Rachel Poling
March 2021
Rachel
Poling
,
RN
800/JNC Neuro-Ortho
CoxHealth: Springfield
Along with another nurse on our floor, Rachel purchased and decorated a Christmas tree for his room. She then worked with him to make ornaments to encourage the use of his fingers.
I am sure that there is no shortage of stories of nurses and other hospital workers going above and beyond for their patients, especially right now during the pandemic. However, we feel that it is incredibly important for us to tell Rachel Poling's endearing story of compassion for one of her patients.
Rachel's patient was involved in a major vehicle crash and is now quadriplegic with a small amount of gross movement in his arms and upper body. It can be very difficult to get a patient motivated when they are dealing with this kind of injury. Nevertheless, whenever this patient is under Rachel's care she will start his morning by making a plan for the day, including setting a new goal to accomplish each day. She even has a routine of opening up the curtains to let the sunshine in at a certain time of the morning so he does not sleep the day away.
The patient had already experienced extreme loss prior to the accident. Rachel has stepped into the role of this patient's mother. She encourages him and supports him. She pushes him to do therapy and work on his gross movement whenever he can. Along with another nurse on our floor, Rachel purchased and decorated a Christmas tree for his room. She then worked with him to make ornaments to encourage the use of his fingers. She is constantly doing things to lift his spirits. She truly goes above and beyond for him.
He is not a non-compliant patient, but he just does not seem to put in as much effort as he does when she is his nurse. As I am writing this nomination, the patient has been in our hospital for about 7 months. During that time, he has been through countless tests, procedures, etc. Understandably, due to his injury and lengthy hospitalization, he has difficulty keeping his morale up. Rachel seems to know exactly what to do and say to get him to shift his focus to his daily goals for recovery. She has created such an amazing bond with this patient. In fact, I bet he even knows Rachel's work schedule better than she does. He, along with his family, has even asked Rachel to be his full-time caregiver once he is discharged.
With everything that is going on in the world right now (and even just in our hospital), it can be incredibly difficult for staff to stay positive for themselves let alone their patients. Rachel seems to have mastered this ability and remains continuously focused on caring for all of her patients. We are incredibly blessed to have Rachel on our team. She is amazing and a credit to her profession as a nurse.
Rachel's patient was involved in a major vehicle crash and is now quadriplegic with a small amount of gross movement in his arms and upper body. It can be very difficult to get a patient motivated when they are dealing with this kind of injury. Nevertheless, whenever this patient is under Rachel's care she will start his morning by making a plan for the day, including setting a new goal to accomplish each day. She even has a routine of opening up the curtains to let the sunshine in at a certain time of the morning so he does not sleep the day away.
The patient had already experienced extreme loss prior to the accident. Rachel has stepped into the role of this patient's mother. She encourages him and supports him. She pushes him to do therapy and work on his gross movement whenever he can. Along with another nurse on our floor, Rachel purchased and decorated a Christmas tree for his room. She then worked with him to make ornaments to encourage the use of his fingers. She is constantly doing things to lift his spirits. She truly goes above and beyond for him.
He is not a non-compliant patient, but he just does not seem to put in as much effort as he does when she is his nurse. As I am writing this nomination, the patient has been in our hospital for about 7 months. During that time, he has been through countless tests, procedures, etc. Understandably, due to his injury and lengthy hospitalization, he has difficulty keeping his morale up. Rachel seems to know exactly what to do and say to get him to shift his focus to his daily goals for recovery. She has created such an amazing bond with this patient. In fact, I bet he even knows Rachel's work schedule better than she does. He, along with his family, has even asked Rachel to be his full-time caregiver once he is discharged.
With everything that is going on in the world right now (and even just in our hospital), it can be incredibly difficult for staff to stay positive for themselves let alone their patients. Rachel seems to have mastered this ability and remains continuously focused on caring for all of her patients. We are incredibly blessed to have Rachel on our team. She is amazing and a credit to her profession as a nurse.