We had an outpatient here for a bedside PICC line placement by an outside service. The guidewire was lost during insertion, the nurse performing the insertion was in training. Samantha Kaufman responded to the call and was very professional and calm. She explained to the patient and his wife the situation and what we planned to do next. The patient and wife who were growing increasingly anxious as more team members arrived at the room, began to calm after Samantha’s explanation and her calm demeanor. Samantha stayed with the patient for one on one monitoring. I noticed that when Samantha took the time to stop in the nurse’s station and spoke to the nurse trainee who had placed the guidewire. Samantha approached her and touched her shoulder, and offered her words of comfort. I only heard the last part, "It's okay, these things happen sometimes", you could almost see the relief on this nurse's face, she even smiled by the time Samantha left the desk to return to the patient's room.

It was amazing to witness one of our team members lifting up a fellow nurse who needed a kind word. Samantha did not get a lunch until 3 p.m. as she was in one on one monitoring and could not leave the patient, but she made sure that the wife had something to eat, she even bought the patient's wife lunch since they had a long wait to have the guidewire removed. Samantha reached out to our risk management team and even our CNO to have someone speak with the patient and his wife prior to discharge because they wanted to speak to someone.

After the patient’s guidewire retrieval and new line placement, Samantha returned to the bedside to check on the patient prior to discharge. They informed her they missed his home health nurse appointment to teach them how to care for the line. Samantha got on the phone and called the home health nurse and explained why they missed their appointment. She asked if they could come here or reschedule so that he did not miss work. She offered to provide training or education if needed. The home health nurse was very understanding, and they arranged for her to work the patient in so that he did not miss work.

Samantha went above and beyond with this patient; I honestly cannot say how grateful we are that we have such a great employee here at BAS. She is kind and compassionate with her peers and her patients. She is knowledgeable and always looking to teach and share that knowledge with everyone.