Role Model Compassionate Care: Lindsey has been a nurse on NP12 for 4 years, having started as a new-graduate RN. She is now one of our most trusted charge resource nurses and preceptors. Lindsey role models compassionate care every day in her quiet, yet confident demeanor. She advocates for her patients and their families utilizing professional, therapeutic communication. Lindsey also demonstrates profound dedication to her patients, always silently going above and beyond in the little ways and never saying a word about it. Lindsey never hesitates to jump in and lend a helping a hand, whether it is to give a bath or assist in an emergency she is always right there without a single complaint.

Special Connection: A few weeks ago we had a 30 year old patient with metastatic head and neck cancer diagnosed in February of 2021. He completed both chemotherapy and radiation and had a complicated course with extensive pain and shortness of breath. His family was very involved in his care and understandably so, struggled with his poor prognosis. Lindsey cared for this patient over the course of many days, expertly navigating the incredibly difficult situation of a young man at the end of his life and his parents grieving yet maintaining hope for recovery.

The patient slowly started experiencing waning mental status and ultimately was unable to make decisions for himself at which point his parents became his healthcare proxies. Ethics was consulted to help facilitate goals of care discussions, as the patient’s parents were adamant about keeping him a full code, despite the patient’s obvious suffering. Throughout all of this emotional turmoil and distress, Lindsey never wavered from her dedication to the patient’s comfort. She advocated for him, sat at his bedside holding his hand, and was a constant presence of peace and respite. Despite the patient “on paper” requiring a higher level of care given his mental status and oxygen needs, Lindsey essentially took care of the patient as a 1:1 for days while palliative care and the oncology team worked to facilitate a transition in care to hospice/comfort. She did not need to do this, but she believed in her heart that keeping the patient on the oncology floor with the team of nurses and doctors that knew him was ultimately in his best interest.

Again, over the course of days, Lindsey took exceptional care of this young man, navigating an incredibly heart-wrenching situation with grace. Eventually, the patient was transitioned to comfort care and passed away later that night. Because of Lindsey’s extraordinary dedication to her patient, he was able to be with his loved ones at the end of his life and I am in awe of Lindsey’s strength and commitment to this young man and his family.

Significant Difference: Lindsey makes a difference in her patients’ lives each and every day she comes to work. Lindsey has been an integral part in facilitating weddings, engagements, birthdays, helping to make these celebrations special for our vulnerable patients. Often patients admitted on our floor are experiencing their “lasts,” their last birthday or just hoping to survive a few more weeks or months to attend a loved one’s wedding. Lindsey goes above and beyond to help our patients celebrate these special moments, whether it’s getting patients ready for the big moment or buying a card in the gift shop to sing Happy Birthday to a patient. Lindsey puts her patients above all else and cares for them holistically and compassionately every single shift. She is truly a special nurse that has touched the lives of countless patients and families, often being recognized in letters to the unit after a patient has been discharged or passed.