Megan Harding
September 2024
Megan
Harding
,
RN
ICU
Orlando Health - Health Central Hospital
Ocoee
,
FL
United States
Meg then communicated these cultural beliefs to the medical team. This act of empathy and understanding completely changed the tone and relationship between the family and the medical team.
Utilizing compassion, dedication, and empathy, Meg was able to bring together a family and medical team who shared very different belief systems. The cohesion she created allowed for all parties involved to focus on a common goal and achieve the best outcome for the patient.
The patient and his family traveled from their home in Saudi Arabia to Orlando, Florida for a family vacation. While on vacation, the patient (the family patriarch) sustained a cardiac arrest, resulting in catastrophic anoxic brain injury.
The medical team made plans to proceed with formal brain testing. After pronouncing the patient brain dead, he would be removed from organ support and pronounced legally dead. When this was explained to the family, they grew very angry, and tension developed between the patient's family members and the medical providers.
Meg took the time to sit down and speak with family members to better understand their strong feelings against brain death testing. In doing this, she learned more about the patient’s religion and death rituals and his culture. She learned how critical it was for the patient to “die” on home soil in Saudi Arabia. Meg learned that the act of the medical team pronouncing this patient brain dead would result in eternal damnation for the patient's soul, bringing lifelong trauma and pain to the surviving family members.
Meg then communicated these cultural beliefs to the medical team. This act of empathy and understanding completely changed the tone and relationship between the family and the medical team. The goals of care became unified, and the medical team and the patient’s family worked together to get this patient flown home to Saudi Arabia so the family could proceed with their crucially important death rituals.
Meg built trust with the patient’s family, which then allowed the family to grow with the medical team. Meg was also instrumental in facilitating the transport process. She worked with the foreign medical transport team to ensure they had the supplies, equipment, and medication they needed. When they didn’t, she worked with the pharmacy and administration to acquire the necessary medications for the patient’s 18-hour journey back to his home country. She worked with the family to ease their worries and keep them updated throughout the transfer process. While doing all this, she also continued to provide outstanding care to the patient, including frequent titrations of vasopressors.
She learned that the patient’s wife participated in prayer rituals every four hours in the hospital room, and found the woman a clean, quiet, peaceful place to pray.
The night before the transfer of this critically, ill patient to Saudi Arabia via private flight, she took the time to meet with all involved parties and discuss all possible avenues or barriers that could occur during travel in order to make the day of travel smoother.
Meg truly went above and beyond in the situation to deliver outstanding care to the patient and his family while also bridging the knowledge gap between the medical providers and the family. The outcome of this case could’ve been drastically different if Meg had not been the nurse involved.
The passion that has Meg has a nurse is palpable. This is the kind of compassion and energy that she brings to work every single day with every single patient. Her ability to build trust and bring a group of strangers across various cultures and religions together speaks to her strengths and talents as a leader, as a nurse, as a colleague, as a caretaker, and as a human being.
***
It is clear that Megan is passionate about nursing and the care she provides to her patients. When she shows up to work, she is not just a nurse for her patients... she is a friend, an advocate, a cheerleader, a support system, and a comforting presence.
Megan's patient was hospitalized for 42 days straight with a very long and complicated ICU stay.
Megan stated: “I can’t imagine being cooped up in a building for 6 weeks straight, it isn’t good for the soul!!”
To boost the patient's morale, Megan became determined to bring the patient outside to experience fresh air and sunshine.
This was no small feat, as the patient was ventilator and vasopressor-dependent.
First, Megan had to build trust with the patient so that she felt safe traveling outside of the ICU.
Next, Megan coordinated efforts amongst respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing assistant and critical care provider to get this critically ill patient safely outside. Megan's empathy and compassion were contagious. The trip was a huge success, and the patient smiled for the first time since admission.
The patient and his family traveled from their home in Saudi Arabia to Orlando, Florida for a family vacation. While on vacation, the patient (the family patriarch) sustained a cardiac arrest, resulting in catastrophic anoxic brain injury.
The medical team made plans to proceed with formal brain testing. After pronouncing the patient brain dead, he would be removed from organ support and pronounced legally dead. When this was explained to the family, they grew very angry, and tension developed between the patient's family members and the medical providers.
Meg took the time to sit down and speak with family members to better understand their strong feelings against brain death testing. In doing this, she learned more about the patient’s religion and death rituals and his culture. She learned how critical it was for the patient to “die” on home soil in Saudi Arabia. Meg learned that the act of the medical team pronouncing this patient brain dead would result in eternal damnation for the patient's soul, bringing lifelong trauma and pain to the surviving family members.
Meg then communicated these cultural beliefs to the medical team. This act of empathy and understanding completely changed the tone and relationship between the family and the medical team. The goals of care became unified, and the medical team and the patient’s family worked together to get this patient flown home to Saudi Arabia so the family could proceed with their crucially important death rituals.
Meg built trust with the patient’s family, which then allowed the family to grow with the medical team. Meg was also instrumental in facilitating the transport process. She worked with the foreign medical transport team to ensure they had the supplies, equipment, and medication they needed. When they didn’t, she worked with the pharmacy and administration to acquire the necessary medications for the patient’s 18-hour journey back to his home country. She worked with the family to ease their worries and keep them updated throughout the transfer process. While doing all this, she also continued to provide outstanding care to the patient, including frequent titrations of vasopressors.
She learned that the patient’s wife participated in prayer rituals every four hours in the hospital room, and found the woman a clean, quiet, peaceful place to pray.
The night before the transfer of this critically, ill patient to Saudi Arabia via private flight, she took the time to meet with all involved parties and discuss all possible avenues or barriers that could occur during travel in order to make the day of travel smoother.
Meg truly went above and beyond in the situation to deliver outstanding care to the patient and his family while also bridging the knowledge gap between the medical providers and the family. The outcome of this case could’ve been drastically different if Meg had not been the nurse involved.
The passion that has Meg has a nurse is palpable. This is the kind of compassion and energy that she brings to work every single day with every single patient. Her ability to build trust and bring a group of strangers across various cultures and religions together speaks to her strengths and talents as a leader, as a nurse, as a colleague, as a caretaker, and as a human being.
***
It is clear that Megan is passionate about nursing and the care she provides to her patients. When she shows up to work, she is not just a nurse for her patients... she is a friend, an advocate, a cheerleader, a support system, and a comforting presence.
Megan's patient was hospitalized for 42 days straight with a very long and complicated ICU stay.
Megan stated: “I can’t imagine being cooped up in a building for 6 weeks straight, it isn’t good for the soul!!”
To boost the patient's morale, Megan became determined to bring the patient outside to experience fresh air and sunshine.
This was no small feat, as the patient was ventilator and vasopressor-dependent.
First, Megan had to build trust with the patient so that she felt safe traveling outside of the ICU.
Next, Megan coordinated efforts amongst respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing assistant and critical care provider to get this critically ill patient safely outside. Megan's empathy and compassion were contagious. The trip was a huge success, and the patient smiled for the first time since admission.