Meg Benson
March 2021
Megan
Benson
,
BSN, RN
Telemetry
Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital
West Chester
,
PA
United States
Even with the constraints of COVID, Megan allowed my sister, my husband, and myself to be at his bedside until the end.
Megan was the nurse assigned to take care of my dad on 4 North on the night shift for two nights. I was also working those night on another unit. She readily gave me updates on my dad over the phone and through the Cureatr. She let me know when he was awake so I could run up and see him during my shift. I was so thankful for that because early in the morning, shortly after midnight, I was able to have a good conversation with him while he was awake. Little did I know this would be my last one. My sister came in to visit him after my shift was over. She said he was having periods of respiratory distress throughout the day.
Finally, after a nap I came back into the hospital, and we met with palliative care to discuss the plan. It was so difficult to decide to put our father on palliative care, but we knew we didn't want to see him suffer or struggle with breathing. After this, I could see that my sister was exhausted and needed a break, so I told her to go home. I said I'd be along shortly once dad settled down. Well he never did and that's where Megan's compassion and excellence of care came into play. I can relate to how a nurse's shift routine works, considering I work the same shift as Megan. My dad must have been the first patient she saw at the start of her shift that night. She immediately assessed how much he was struggling to breathe, and she never left his side. She treated him with compassion like he was her own father. Never once did she give any indication that her other patients might be waiting for her. My dad was who she was focusing all of her attention on. She immediately Cureated the MICA PA who quickly came to my father's bedside to assess the situation. We agreed on a plan. I just wanted him to be comfortable and not struggling. I text my sister to tell her the plan and she was in agreement. Even with the constraints of COVID, Megan allowed my sister, my husband, and myself to be at his bedside until the end. She allowed us privacy to do a prayer with a chaplain over the phone and was willing to do whatever was needed to help us through this difficult time.
After he passed away, Megan immediately returned upon our request to confirm that he had indeed passed. She then allowed us as much time as we needed with him and returned immediately when we were ready to go home. All of this happened within the first two hours of her shift, and she never batted an eye. She told me on the side that she was thinking about doing hospice nursing. I think she would be excellent at that. She exhibits all of the iCare to Be values as I described above. She really made our grieving process more bearable. For this, I am forever grateful. I cannot express how extraordinary Megan is for her undying compassion, for her presence at my father's bedside, for her empowerment to find a way to make my dad's final hours more comfortable, for collaborating with the MICA team to come up with the best plan of care, and for being accountable by following through to provide him with the best possible care.
Finally, after a nap I came back into the hospital, and we met with palliative care to discuss the plan. It was so difficult to decide to put our father on palliative care, but we knew we didn't want to see him suffer or struggle with breathing. After this, I could see that my sister was exhausted and needed a break, so I told her to go home. I said I'd be along shortly once dad settled down. Well he never did and that's where Megan's compassion and excellence of care came into play. I can relate to how a nurse's shift routine works, considering I work the same shift as Megan. My dad must have been the first patient she saw at the start of her shift that night. She immediately assessed how much he was struggling to breathe, and she never left his side. She treated him with compassion like he was her own father. Never once did she give any indication that her other patients might be waiting for her. My dad was who she was focusing all of her attention on. She immediately Cureated the MICA PA who quickly came to my father's bedside to assess the situation. We agreed on a plan. I just wanted him to be comfortable and not struggling. I text my sister to tell her the plan and she was in agreement. Even with the constraints of COVID, Megan allowed my sister, my husband, and myself to be at his bedside until the end. She allowed us privacy to do a prayer with a chaplain over the phone and was willing to do whatever was needed to help us through this difficult time.
After he passed away, Megan immediately returned upon our request to confirm that he had indeed passed. She then allowed us as much time as we needed with him and returned immediately when we were ready to go home. All of this happened within the first two hours of her shift, and she never batted an eye. She told me on the side that she was thinking about doing hospice nursing. I think she would be excellent at that. She exhibits all of the iCare to Be values as I described above. She really made our grieving process more bearable. For this, I am forever grateful. I cannot express how extraordinary Megan is for her undying compassion, for her presence at my father's bedside, for her empowerment to find a way to make my dad's final hours more comfortable, for collaborating with the MICA team to come up with the best plan of care, and for being accountable by following through to provide him with the best possible care.