Phaedra K DesJarden
April 2024
Phaedra K
DesJarden
,
BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Corewell Health West Blodgett Hospital
Grand Rapids
,
MI
United States
Phaedra was patient and took the time to look through the paperwork that had arrived with my grandmother, which was helpful in putting together some of the bigger picture.
I'll admit I'm a bit behind on sending this feedback but I want to make sure I don't forget! I want to take a moment and recognize Phaedra Desjardin and our doctor for the care they provided to my grandmother in the BL ED last month. As a nurse it can be so hard to be on the other side of the health care process and advocate for your loved ones while hoping that you're not coming across as a “that family member who is a nurse”. I know you know the type I am referring to.
The closer we got to discharge, I became increasingly concerned that my grandma had not improved much and was worried that we could be missing something. Additionally, I was nervous that at her age of 92, it would be easy to overlook her and attribute some of her concerns as expected with her age. As the night shift took over, Phaedra became my grandmother's nurse, and I expressed to her that I'd feel better if I could just talk to the doctor one more time before we left to make sure that we were all on the same page. The doctor had also just come on and informed me that he was admittedly not familiar with my grandma's course as she had actually been discharged in the system, but he pulled up her chart and went through the results anyway and asked questions to make sure he understood my concerns. He decided to hold off on her discharge and investigate further, ordering more tests. Both Phaedra and the doctor treated my grandmother as if she were a priority, even though I know very well that the EDs have seen incredible volume. Phaedra was patient and took the time to look through the paperwork that had arrived with my grandmother, which was helpful in putting together some of the bigger picture.
Long story short, because these two team members showed concern, patience, and diligence, my grandmother ended up being admitted to the ICU and I firmly believe that had they not taken the time to revisit her ED course, she would have gone home and ended right back in the ED or potentially worse. At 92, she is back home and living almost completely independently with my 96-year-old grandpa, and I know that the excellent care she received that night in the ED set in motion the steps to making that happen.
The closer we got to discharge, I became increasingly concerned that my grandma had not improved much and was worried that we could be missing something. Additionally, I was nervous that at her age of 92, it would be easy to overlook her and attribute some of her concerns as expected with her age. As the night shift took over, Phaedra became my grandmother's nurse, and I expressed to her that I'd feel better if I could just talk to the doctor one more time before we left to make sure that we were all on the same page. The doctor had also just come on and informed me that he was admittedly not familiar with my grandma's course as she had actually been discharged in the system, but he pulled up her chart and went through the results anyway and asked questions to make sure he understood my concerns. He decided to hold off on her discharge and investigate further, ordering more tests. Both Phaedra and the doctor treated my grandmother as if she were a priority, even though I know very well that the EDs have seen incredible volume. Phaedra was patient and took the time to look through the paperwork that had arrived with my grandmother, which was helpful in putting together some of the bigger picture.
Long story short, because these two team members showed concern, patience, and diligence, my grandmother ended up being admitted to the ICU and I firmly believe that had they not taken the time to revisit her ED course, she would have gone home and ended right back in the ED or potentially worse. At 92, she is back home and living almost completely independently with my 96-year-old grandpa, and I know that the excellent care she received that night in the ED set in motion the steps to making that happen.