I have known, over the past years, that I had avascular necrosis and so, when my pain worsened and was no longer tolerable, without the use of medication, I sought the intervention of Dr. Hampton of Shady Grove Orthopedics and surgery was planned. I was in constant contact with the joint specialist and the pre-surgical team, and I arrived, as directed, at the assigned time for the presurgical instruction, surgical preparation, and the administration of specific medications, such as Oxycontin. During this final phase of the process, I also received specific instructions from the anesthesiologist on the use of spinal block and anesthesia during surgery; and then, after a last-minute question and answer session with Dr. Hampton, I was wheeled into surgery and my wife was taken back to the presurgical waiting area.

Dr. Neil, while I understand that the surgeons at Shady Grove Orthopedics are not necessarily associates of the hospital center, please know that I commend them and any member of the medical staff at Shady Grove Medical Center, on the care that I received on the date of my surgery. I do not know the specifics of the surgery or any difficulty that I had in waking up from the anesthesia and being "pain free;" and so, I will refrain from making speculations. However, I do know that in my waking moments, after being taken to the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), I questioned why I had not been transferred to the ortho unit and was alerted that the room was being prepared.

At approximately 5:50 PM - 6:00 PM, we were alerted that the room was ready, my wife was brought back to PACU, and we were transported to room 4B10. I was wheeled into the room as my wife was encouraged to have a seat in the waiting area, while the staff would settle me into the bed, and she could then visit for a few more minutes until the termination of visiting hours. It is here that things took a strange turn from calm to chaos, and I MUST commend the hospital staff, and the 4B team especially, for their exceptional care.

While I am currently a mid-level provider at a local community practice, please understand I am also a certified medical-surgical registered nurse, and so, my request to go to the bathroom before being transferred to the bed was not out of order or against common occurrence. My RN Naveeda Khan and her CNA Consuelo Barerra ensured that I was safe in getting out of the transfer bed, and then both escorted me to the restroom, alerting me that the door could not be closed and that they would be right there checking on me, in order to ensure my safety. To be perfectly honest, that is the last thing that I remember because, my next vague memories are of people shouting directions and asking me questions to which I wanted to respond but could find neither the words nor the strength to respond.

Dr. Neil and Ms. Vincent, your rapid response team was absolutely efficient, and while they all should be commended, I want to commend the person (sadly, I do not know who she is) who took the time to speak with my wife and give her words of encouragement. Of this one thing I believe I can be sure, the actions of your staff, beginning with the quick action of RN Naveeda, to yell for help, and refusing to leave my side thus preventing me from falling, even when the Vocera failed her, was critical and allowed other staff members to be drawn to my aid and prevented any further change in my status.

Ms. Vincent, as a leader within the nursing field and an expert in communication, I fully embrace the reality that change of shift reporting and nursing communication are the foundation to successful nursing care on any unit; and I would like to commend your 4B staff for their exemplary actions. During handoff/change of shift, the information that was provided to the incoming staff was accurate, appropriate and allowed for effective continuity of care. The 4B evening/night RN Eliza Regmi and her CNA Elisa Flores provided me with expectations that would be net throughout the shift and they were absolutely true to their words. I actually had to laugh at RN Eliza once because she had indicated her next rounding on me would occur at 3:00 AM; but she was late and did not get there until 3:01 AM. And, just to be clear, while I was still somewhat drowsy and "a little out of it" during the night, the 4B staff rounded on me and constantly questioned me on the management of my pain and other things that were pertinent to my safety (potty, positioning, and accessibility of personal items). And, while I only accepted Acetaminophen for relief of my pain throughout the shift, RN Eliza was always quick to alert me that I had other options, even the use of Valium at bedtime, if needed. 

My nursing team left me feeling very safe throughout the night; and RN Eliza was even able to provide calm reassurance to my frantic wife who called, needing to know that I was safe. And, if my first team of RN Naveeda & CNA Consuelo, or the next team of RN Eliza and CNA Elisa were not dynamic enough, my last nursing team of RN Nami Kato and CNA Betty Nkansah picked up the baton and ensured that my last few hours at SGMC passed without any further event.

Mrs. Vincent and Ms. Sprecher, I would like to recognize all of these individuals. I believe that they were all jointly involved in the dispensation of excellent care, and I would be unjust in keeping silent on this matter. I would further like to acknowledge that 4B Manager Charity Joint Coordinator Kaitlyn Blumenthal and the 4B staff have earned my trust and respect as an excellent joint center.

Finally, Mr. Cochran, I believe that excellence begins with leadership; and so, I would like to commend you for your leadership of SGMC and for surrounding yourself with leadership that inspires and translates actions into excellent care.

Thank you and your staff for keeping me safe during my recent stay at your facility, and I wish you and your organization continued success.