April 2021
Kathleen
Pratt
,
RN, BSN
Imaging Sciences- PICC Team
Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester
,
NY
United States
Kathleen has a mastery of therapeutic communication skills and techniques, which made her stand out amongst her peers.
I have had the pleasure of working with Kathleen in a variety of capacities and throughout my time working alongside Kathleen, I have always been impressed by the dedicated and giving clinician that she is. Kathleen has a very diverse background prior to nursing, all of which illustrate her various strengths. Her time as a radiation therapist brings intricate knowledge of anatomy/pathophysiology, which helped her advocate for treatment trajectories for patients and allowed her to quickly develop acute critical thinking skills. Her background as an addiction counselor brings a different, and quite frankly, a needed lens to medicine.
Kathleen has a mastery of therapeutic communication skills and techniques, which made her stand out amongst her peers. These skills I witnessed being immensely beneficial in both the oncology and palliative patient populations, where oftentimes patients and families were struggling to cope with difficult news and outcomes. Over the years, I can name many examples of Kathleen going above and beyond to ensure her patients and families truly understood their diagnosis and treatment trajectory, as well as how to cope with it. Kathleen looks at a patient and doesn’t just see their medical diagnosis, but she sees the patient as a whole, and how different components of health (i.e. psychological, spiritual) can help or hinder the healing process.
Another tremendous attribute is her kindness and selflessness. One particular example that has stayed with me is from our time in palliative care. There was a patient who had been on our unit for a while and had some family coming into town. Kathleen is also a licensed hairstylist, and she knew that it would be important to the patient to look nice for loved ones after being in the hospital for so long. Kathleen brought in her hair tools from home and stayed after her shift to cut, wash, and style the patient’s hair. Her simple act of kindness meant so much to the patient and family, and I feel it truly highlights her character.
Another need that was identified in the palliative care unit was the lack of follow-up with families and bereavement support. Kathleen designed a card template, had cards printed, and after a patient passed, would have the cards out for staff to sign and let the family know their loved one made an impact on the staff. This served a two-fold purpose: not only did families feel supported in their bereavement, but it also helped alleviate burnout with staff as they were able to obtain some closure and express their wishes to families. I could keep writing to recount the numerous times that I have witnessed Kathleen positively impacting patient care throughout the years. She is an embodiment of the heart and soul of nursing. I am honored and privileged to have had the pleasure of working alongside her at URMC.
Kathleen has a mastery of therapeutic communication skills and techniques, which made her stand out amongst her peers. These skills I witnessed being immensely beneficial in both the oncology and palliative patient populations, where oftentimes patients and families were struggling to cope with difficult news and outcomes. Over the years, I can name many examples of Kathleen going above and beyond to ensure her patients and families truly understood their diagnosis and treatment trajectory, as well as how to cope with it. Kathleen looks at a patient and doesn’t just see their medical diagnosis, but she sees the patient as a whole, and how different components of health (i.e. psychological, spiritual) can help or hinder the healing process.
Another tremendous attribute is her kindness and selflessness. One particular example that has stayed with me is from our time in palliative care. There was a patient who had been on our unit for a while and had some family coming into town. Kathleen is also a licensed hairstylist, and she knew that it would be important to the patient to look nice for loved ones after being in the hospital for so long. Kathleen brought in her hair tools from home and stayed after her shift to cut, wash, and style the patient’s hair. Her simple act of kindness meant so much to the patient and family, and I feel it truly highlights her character.
Another need that was identified in the palliative care unit was the lack of follow-up with families and bereavement support. Kathleen designed a card template, had cards printed, and after a patient passed, would have the cards out for staff to sign and let the family know their loved one made an impact on the staff. This served a two-fold purpose: not only did families feel supported in their bereavement, but it also helped alleviate burnout with staff as they were able to obtain some closure and express their wishes to families. I could keep writing to recount the numerous times that I have witnessed Kathleen positively impacting patient care throughout the years. She is an embodiment of the heart and soul of nursing. I am honored and privileged to have had the pleasure of working alongside her at URMC.