Jennifer Payne Rodwell
April 2025
Jennifer
Payne Rodwell
,
BSN, RN
BHU
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Columbia
,
MD
United States
While S is a young adult, Jennifer was incredibly empathetic in understanding the scariness of being sick and hospitalized in a hospital far from home, no matter your age.
Our daughter, S, is a college student at the University of Maryland. She became ill and was sent directly from Urgent Care to the ER, where she was admitted for a 4-day hospitalization for a kidney infection, pneumonia, and sepsis. I flew down from Boston to be with her. S struggles with anxiety, especially regarding medical issues. During various parts of her hospital stay, she was quite anxious and became overwhelmed with the number of imaging tests and blood draws that were necessary.
Jennifer's calming and reassuring presence was a game changer for both S and me, as her mother. While S is a young adult, Jennifer was incredibly empathetic in understanding the scariness of being sick and hospitalized in a hospital far from home, no matter your age. She was patient and took the time to explain to S what was going on. She never rushed S and though she had many patients to care for, she always made S (and me) feel that we were her top priority and would take as much time as we needed. I am confident that she made her other patients feel that way, too.
As a healthcare provider myself (I am a pediatrician), I understand the strain on the healthcare system and on nurses in particular. I also understand that a good nurse is the best advocate any patient can have. Oftentimes, patients feel like they are ignored or are labelled as being "problematic" if they ask questions or need reassurance. S needed a whole lot of reassurance and Jennifer NEVER made her feel problematic. She also understood that ALL patients need a support system and all patients do better if there is a supportive and helpful family member involved. Given her age, Jennifer appropriately directed all of her questions and information to S. At the same time, she was also willing to answer any of my questions as S's mom.
Jennifer is a shining example of what a nurse should be. She is a good listener and a skilled clinician with a patient and kind demeanor. Though she was probably overwhelmed and exhausted by the amount of work she had during the shifts we had her, she never let it impact the gentle way she approached S every time they interacted. If every nurse were like Jennifer, we would have a much happier and healthier patient population! A big round of applause and many, many thanks to Nurse Jennifer!
Jennifer's calming and reassuring presence was a game changer for both S and me, as her mother. While S is a young adult, Jennifer was incredibly empathetic in understanding the scariness of being sick and hospitalized in a hospital far from home, no matter your age. She was patient and took the time to explain to S what was going on. She never rushed S and though she had many patients to care for, she always made S (and me) feel that we were her top priority and would take as much time as we needed. I am confident that she made her other patients feel that way, too.
As a healthcare provider myself (I am a pediatrician), I understand the strain on the healthcare system and on nurses in particular. I also understand that a good nurse is the best advocate any patient can have. Oftentimes, patients feel like they are ignored or are labelled as being "problematic" if they ask questions or need reassurance. S needed a whole lot of reassurance and Jennifer NEVER made her feel problematic. She also understood that ALL patients need a support system and all patients do better if there is a supportive and helpful family member involved. Given her age, Jennifer appropriately directed all of her questions and information to S. At the same time, she was also willing to answer any of my questions as S's mom.
Jennifer is a shining example of what a nurse should be. She is a good listener and a skilled clinician with a patient and kind demeanor. Though she was probably overwhelmed and exhausted by the amount of work she had during the shifts we had her, she never let it impact the gentle way she approached S every time they interacted. If every nurse were like Jennifer, we would have a much happier and healthier patient population! A big round of applause and many, many thanks to Nurse Jennifer!