Carol Renfrow
October 2020
Carol
Renfrow
,
RN
Emergency Room
Carteret Health Care
Morehead City
,
NC
United States
Carol with her warm smile and soft demeanor she immediately made my daughter feel at ease.
As a nurse myself, I value and truly understand the art of nursing, compassion, servant leadership, and the simple act of kindness. My daughter was a patient in the CEU. This beautiful, funny, straight-A girl suffers from depression and anxiety. Little did we know that morning that we would end up at Carteret Health Care.
When we arrived at the hospital, the triage nurse was very kind and quickly moved her to the back. Within a few minutes she was given the dreaded paper scrubs; as a teenager, this was not only scary for her, but it added a new level of vulnerability and embarrassment. Being stripped of your personal items is hard for an adult, but it seems to have more of an impact on a teenager (although appropriate for the situation). A few minutes later, in floats an angel. Carol with her warm smile and soft demeanor she immediately made my daughter feel at ease. As she introduced herself, she explained that her background was in pediatrics, and she had been a nurse a very long time. This instilled our trust in her. Before she started the assessment of multiple repetitive questions, she explained why she needed to ask these pointed questions and apologized as she knew they would be uncomfortable, while reassuring her this was a judgment free place, and she was here to help her.
Once back in the CEU, Carol rounded on her consistently, asking about her personal life, school, and accomplishments always adding, “Wow, I am so proud of you!” She offered her activities to keep her occupied. In fact, the CNA and B were also in CEU that day. They both rounded consistently on us both. True teamwork! The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised to see Carol again with a huge smile on her face. She asked her how she slept, was the new medication helping, what she planned to do once she went home, etc. My daughter was elated to see her. Not only did she give amazing care to my daughter, but we also witnessed her care for an elderly patient.
This patient was clearly confused and wandering; Carol with her calm nursing demeanor easily redirected her, assisted her in the bathroom, and continued to care for her until she was discharged. When Carol reviewed my daughter’s discharge, she ensured we knew all about her new medication, double checked our pharmacy, and informed us of her follow up appointment. Most importantly, she took the time (precious time) to talk to her, encouraged her to stay on track, keep her straight-As, encouraged her to rely on her support team, and to openly communicate with me. It may sound silly, but I say these things to her all the time, as Mom…my teenager does not listen, but since Carol said it…she heard it.
Carol has a way about her that makes you feel truly cared about and welcome. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought a locked behavioral health unit could feel so inviting and I truly believe it is because of Carol. Mental Health has forever been stigmatized and those suffering from it hide in shame. Nurses like Carol take that burden away. She went above and beyond to make us both feel informed, educated and cared about. I cannot say enough positive things about her and please know how blessed the CEU is to have such a compassionate and loving nurse like Carol. Many thanks.
When we arrived at the hospital, the triage nurse was very kind and quickly moved her to the back. Within a few minutes she was given the dreaded paper scrubs; as a teenager, this was not only scary for her, but it added a new level of vulnerability and embarrassment. Being stripped of your personal items is hard for an adult, but it seems to have more of an impact on a teenager (although appropriate for the situation). A few minutes later, in floats an angel. Carol with her warm smile and soft demeanor she immediately made my daughter feel at ease. As she introduced herself, she explained that her background was in pediatrics, and she had been a nurse a very long time. This instilled our trust in her. Before she started the assessment of multiple repetitive questions, she explained why she needed to ask these pointed questions and apologized as she knew they would be uncomfortable, while reassuring her this was a judgment free place, and she was here to help her.
Once back in the CEU, Carol rounded on her consistently, asking about her personal life, school, and accomplishments always adding, “Wow, I am so proud of you!” She offered her activities to keep her occupied. In fact, the CNA and B were also in CEU that day. They both rounded consistently on us both. True teamwork! The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised to see Carol again with a huge smile on her face. She asked her how she slept, was the new medication helping, what she planned to do once she went home, etc. My daughter was elated to see her. Not only did she give amazing care to my daughter, but we also witnessed her care for an elderly patient.
This patient was clearly confused and wandering; Carol with her calm nursing demeanor easily redirected her, assisted her in the bathroom, and continued to care for her until she was discharged. When Carol reviewed my daughter’s discharge, she ensured we knew all about her new medication, double checked our pharmacy, and informed us of her follow up appointment. Most importantly, she took the time (precious time) to talk to her, encouraged her to stay on track, keep her straight-As, encouraged her to rely on her support team, and to openly communicate with me. It may sound silly, but I say these things to her all the time, as Mom…my teenager does not listen, but since Carol said it…she heard it.
Carol has a way about her that makes you feel truly cared about and welcome. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought a locked behavioral health unit could feel so inviting and I truly believe it is because of Carol. Mental Health has forever been stigmatized and those suffering from it hide in shame. Nurses like Carol take that burden away. She went above and beyond to make us both feel informed, educated and cared about. I cannot say enough positive things about her and please know how blessed the CEU is to have such a compassionate and loving nurse like Carol. Many thanks.