The staff at Sacred Heart are very impressive. They answer questions, take time to listen, and are compassionate. That said, some staff members demonstrated more of these skills than others and truly stand out in this regard.

My husband had a complete arthroplasty and I was able to stay with him for his recovery period before we returned home. Lauren's bedside manner made us feel like we were the only patients she had under her care that weekend. She was truly relaxed when she came in to check on my husband and used her time to casually chat while attending to her duties, which made us feel welcomed. She was the only nurse who consistently made certain he gave informed consent - an important consideration that we feel is being emphasized less in general, regardless of which of the four hospital stays we have had in the last 10 months.

Lauren's nursing skills demonstrated how she empathizes with her patients, which is shown in the following events: My husband needed to have a stick catheter procedure twice. The first time an RN in charge of making certain every nurse received their breaks did this procedure. Informed consent was more along the lines of, "This is what I'm going to do" right before she did it. The procedure was successful, but when his bladder was drained, she instructed him to "take a deep breath" before briskly pulling the catheter out. My husband grimaced in strong discomfort.

The method that Lauren used involved, "May I touch you here?" She would then wait for an answer before proceeding. She explained everything in an educational way and in a calm manner. She was much gentler overall, including removing the stick catheter much more slowly and carefully, which caused no discomfort at all. Lauren was one of the people who helped to get him released in a timely way so we could make it back to Klamath Falls and to the infusion clinic for IV antibiotics before they closed for the evening. She worked hard on what I am guessing were reams of paperwork yet was still so relaxed as she sat on the edge of the bed to read through every discharge instruction. Her body language (and her literal bedside manner) were such that we never felt rushed, yet she was still so efficient. truly created a trusting relationship with us, and we still talk about her and how much we enjoyed our interactions with her. While we sincerely hope he has had his last surgery, if he needs another one, we would love to request that Lauren be his RN