Sarah Hutchinson
March 2024
Sarah
Hutchinson
,
BSN, RN
PICU
Children's Minnesota
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States

 

 

 

She always made us feel like we were her only and most important patient and family. My son grabbed her hand on the last night and looked into her eyes like he knew she would make him feel better.
Our son, [patient] is a four-month-old boy who underwent spinal surgery. The surgery went as planned, but with this type of surgery you must remain flat for 5 days, which is hard for a four-month-old who is used to all the cuddles and moving. Coming out of anesthesia and in his room, he was inconsolable for over 5 hours. His on-staff nurses and rounding provider tried everything to get him comfortable, but there was no prevail. For us as parents, it was emotionally and physically draining. For him, just as much. When Sarah came on staff at shift change, our son was still not a happy camper. After being informed of his situation, she jumped right in with a plan to get and stay on top of his pain. She came in with such a calm and confident energy that was revitalizing for us as parents. Her attentiveness to his needs and ours partnered with her attitude and knowledge made him have a great night of sleep and even us as parents got some much needed sleep. As she worked, she would always talk to him about what she was doing and comfort his cries. Sarah brought such a calmness to our son and us; we wished we could have her in the daytime too, as she knew how to keep him happy and ourselves calm. By the second night, I could sleep soundly knowing she was there to take care of my baby. On the third night, he had a lot of gas, and even though I know they were understaffed and very busy, she stood there for almost ten minutes patting his butt and getting him calm right by my side. She always made us feel like we were her only and most important patient and family. My son grabbed her hand on the last night and looked into her eyes like he knew she would make him feel better. There was not a single time she left the room that she didn't ask if we needed anything. She brought in comfort items for both us and our son without needing to ask and explained everything so we would understand where we were at and the plan moving forward. Although we appreciate every nurse who helps us with our son's recovery, we are especially thankful for Sarah. She is well-deserving of every recognition.