Emily Herman
July 2024
Emily
Herman
,
BSN, RN, CCRN
LT PICU
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston
,
TX
United States
The patient's mother was understandably distraught at the thought of having to leave. Emily, being the amazing advocate that she is, took action and began to look into how she could help.
Emily has gone above and beyond for a patient's mother on our unit who is expecting. Her son had many unexpected complications following a liver transplant several months ago. She has been at the patient's bedside 24/7 while navigating her pregnancy. Emily has done so many wonderful things to help her prepare for the new baby's arrival and feel celebrated and excited. Emily provided her with a safe place for the new baby to sleep to ensure Mom had minimal time away from her sick child’s bed space. When Emily learned Mom was going to have to deliver at a hospital miles away, she quickly sent emails to leadership to coordinate things so that Mom could deliver at our hospital and again have minimal time away from her other child’s bedside. The Mom has expressed immense gratitude and explained that she now feels that she can be excited about the arrival of the new baby and that so much stress has been relieved from this aspect of her life. This is just a small glimpse into how Emily goes above and beyond for her patients every single shift she works. She is a bright light in the darkest days and deserves to be recognized for her outstanding care.
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We had a long-term patient in the PICU who was well-known to most of the staff. Throughout his stay in the PICU, many formed a close relationship with the patient's mother. The patient started to decompensate and was nearing the end of life about a week before his mother was to give birth to another child. Prior to this, the patient's mother attempted to seek care in the Pavilion for Women; however, due to insurance and other factors, she was not able to see the doctors there and instead would have her baby at a hospital outside of the med center. Knowing this information and advocating for family-centered care, Emily Herman reached out to the PICU ACD team to see if there was any way we could get the patient's mother to deliver at the PFW. After much coordination, it was planned that the patient's mother would be able to deliver at the PFW and be just a bridge away in case anything was to happen to the patient. Unfortunately, two days after the patient's mother gave birth, the patient was at the end of life. Because of the close proximity, the patient's mother was able to see her son and have him meet the new baby. Emily has been an ICU nurse for many years, and her clinical experience has helped her develop into an amazing nurse. She truly encompasses what it means to provide compassionate care not only to the patient but also to the patient's family.
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We recently had a patient in the PICU that was nearing end of life. The patient's mother was pregnant and was due to give birth via C-section at a hospital far away from TCH. The patient's mother was understandably distraught at the thought of having to leave. Emily, being the amazing advocate that she is, took action and began to look into how she could help. Because of her, Texas Children's was able to arrange it so the patient's mother could have her baby at the Pavilion for Women, be with the patient before he passed, and introduce the patient to his baby brother. This is just one example of Emily's devotion to her patients. PICU and TCH are incredibly lucky to have her.
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We had a long-term patient in the PICU who was well-known to most of the staff. Throughout his stay in the PICU, many formed a close relationship with the patient's mother. The patient started to decompensate and was nearing the end of life about a week before his mother was to give birth to another child. Prior to this, the patient's mother attempted to seek care in the Pavilion for Women; however, due to insurance and other factors, she was not able to see the doctors there and instead would have her baby at a hospital outside of the med center. Knowing this information and advocating for family-centered care, Emily Herman reached out to the PICU ACD team to see if there was any way we could get the patient's mother to deliver at the PFW. After much coordination, it was planned that the patient's mother would be able to deliver at the PFW and be just a bridge away in case anything was to happen to the patient. Unfortunately, two days after the patient's mother gave birth, the patient was at the end of life. Because of the close proximity, the patient's mother was able to see her son and have him meet the new baby. Emily has been an ICU nurse for many years, and her clinical experience has helped her develop into an amazing nurse. She truly encompasses what it means to provide compassionate care not only to the patient but also to the patient's family.
***
We recently had a patient in the PICU that was nearing end of life. The patient's mother was pregnant and was due to give birth via C-section at a hospital far away from TCH. The patient's mother was understandably distraught at the thought of having to leave. Emily, being the amazing advocate that she is, took action and began to look into how she could help. Because of her, Texas Children's was able to arrange it so the patient's mother could have her baby at the Pavilion for Women, be with the patient before he passed, and introduce the patient to his baby brother. This is just one example of Emily's devotion to her patients. PICU and TCH are incredibly lucky to have her.