Mindy Von Elling
August 2021
Mindy
Von Elling
,
BSN, RN
4 Sutherland
Children's Mercy Kansas City
Kansas City
,
MO
United States
Mindy is exceptional with all of her patients, but this story really touched my heart.
Imagine as a parent being told that your baby needed surgery to repair a vital organ. That's scary enough! Now imagine both parents being blind and trying to go through this situation. That is not an easy task for a family. Most nurses would be intimidated by this situation too. A nurse with unmeasured compassion can thrive under these circumstances. That nurse is Mindy.
When this patient arrived to our unit, Mindy took it upon herself to provide outstanding family-centered care. She knew that the parents were in a new environment, and she wanted them to feel comfortable. She took this family around the room, pointing things out and helping them get acclimated. This way the parents could know where the bathroom was, the patient, the cot bed, sink, computer for nursing, etc. Mindy took the time to do this and when I heard about it, I think it is the perfect example of how a nurse can change the clinical course for a family by taking away unnecessary stress.
Mindy also asked the parents if they wanted to hold their child and offered to assist with this. The parents indicated they had not yet held their baby post-op. Can you imagine?! Mindy said that watching the mother near tears holding her child was moving. At this point, Mindy was not only family-centered but patient-centered too. She learned that the family was nervous with all of the different cords on the patient. Mindy explained the cords and their purpose and assured parents if they get pulled off it's no big deal we can replace them. At the end of the shift, the parents needed to get to the front entrance of the hospital.
Mindy, on her way out, walked this family through the hospital to the front. She pointed out areas they might want to know. This was after her shift! I don't know a lot of people who would take that extra time after working 13 hours. Mindy is exceptional with all of her patients, but this story really touched my heart. I think she is rarely recognized for all the little things she does. Mindy is not only a nurse who puts in a big effort for one family, she is a nurse who puts in a big effort for all the families. She is the kind of nurse we all would want to take care of us. I am honored to be her coworker.
When this patient arrived to our unit, Mindy took it upon herself to provide outstanding family-centered care. She knew that the parents were in a new environment, and she wanted them to feel comfortable. She took this family around the room, pointing things out and helping them get acclimated. This way the parents could know where the bathroom was, the patient, the cot bed, sink, computer for nursing, etc. Mindy took the time to do this and when I heard about it, I think it is the perfect example of how a nurse can change the clinical course for a family by taking away unnecessary stress.
Mindy also asked the parents if they wanted to hold their child and offered to assist with this. The parents indicated they had not yet held their baby post-op. Can you imagine?! Mindy said that watching the mother near tears holding her child was moving. At this point, Mindy was not only family-centered but patient-centered too. She learned that the family was nervous with all of the different cords on the patient. Mindy explained the cords and their purpose and assured parents if they get pulled off it's no big deal we can replace them. At the end of the shift, the parents needed to get to the front entrance of the hospital.
Mindy, on her way out, walked this family through the hospital to the front. She pointed out areas they might want to know. This was after her shift! I don't know a lot of people who would take that extra time after working 13 hours. Mindy is exceptional with all of her patients, but this story really touched my heart. I think she is rarely recognized for all the little things she does. Mindy is not only a nurse who puts in a big effort for one family, she is a nurse who puts in a big effort for all the families. She is the kind of nurse we all would want to take care of us. I am honored to be her coworker.