Jessica Kuhn
May 2021
Jessica
Kuhn
,
RN
NICU 4
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston
,
TX
United States
Jessica gave her the bottled water and told her to please take care of herself because she was pregnant, and it was more important for her to make sure she was well hydrated.
I would like to share with you a recent interaction I had with a patient’s mother. This interaction exemplifies Jessica and the way she treats others. We had a complex long-term patient that spent several months with us. Jessica took care of this patient many times and eventually primarily cared for him towards the end of his stay.
On the day of discharge, Jessica was not working but this mother asked that we make a point to reach out to her and thank her again for all her hard work and for the special care she provided for her son. She shared with us that Jessica had personally had a positive impact on their NICU stay and on her. This patient had been set to go home just as a Winter Storm hit. His mom told us that this was an overwhelming and scary time for her as she was stuck at the hospital while pregnant away from her family and her other son. She shared with us that during the storm it became challenging to find food and bottled water. During one of these instances along with the other nurses, Jessica had received a limited amount of bottled water that had been designated for the staff. She later overheard the mom on the phone with her husband sharing that she hadn’t been able to find any bottled water at the gift shop or surrounding stores. Jessica gave her the bottled water and told her to please take care of herself because she was pregnant, and it was more important for her to make sure she was well hydrated.
This patient's mother described how touched she was that Jessica put her needs above her own. It meant so much to her that Jessica showed her such compassion and kindness during the stress and anxiety of a natural disaster. Although it was heartwarming to hear her recall this special moment it was not surprising to any of those who work with Jessica. This is her personality every single day. She always shows up ready to help and goes the extra mile to advocate for her patients, their families, and her coworkers. Her service to others always comes before her own personal needs or desires. In the numerous hours that I have worked alongside Jessica, I have witnessed her compassionate care her heart for those in need and her strength of character. I am so thankful for the example of her compassionate care.
On the day of discharge, Jessica was not working but this mother asked that we make a point to reach out to her and thank her again for all her hard work and for the special care she provided for her son. She shared with us that Jessica had personally had a positive impact on their NICU stay and on her. This patient had been set to go home just as a Winter Storm hit. His mom told us that this was an overwhelming and scary time for her as she was stuck at the hospital while pregnant away from her family and her other son. She shared with us that during the storm it became challenging to find food and bottled water. During one of these instances along with the other nurses, Jessica had received a limited amount of bottled water that had been designated for the staff. She later overheard the mom on the phone with her husband sharing that she hadn’t been able to find any bottled water at the gift shop or surrounding stores. Jessica gave her the bottled water and told her to please take care of herself because she was pregnant, and it was more important for her to make sure she was well hydrated.
This patient's mother described how touched she was that Jessica put her needs above her own. It meant so much to her that Jessica showed her such compassion and kindness during the stress and anxiety of a natural disaster. Although it was heartwarming to hear her recall this special moment it was not surprising to any of those who work with Jessica. This is her personality every single day. She always shows up ready to help and goes the extra mile to advocate for her patients, their families, and her coworkers. Her service to others always comes before her own personal needs or desires. In the numerous hours that I have worked alongside Jessica, I have witnessed her compassionate care her heart for those in need and her strength of character. I am so thankful for the example of her compassionate care.