Meredith Schuster
April 2016
Meredith
Schuster
,
RN
8th Floor Intensive Care
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem
,
NC
United States

 

 

 

In the day to day ICU environment, the patient and family are at one of their highest levels of stress. The nurse takes extra time to visit with their patients and families and brings comfort and peace to them. One recent example, there was a patient in the ICU who was at the end of his life. This was a very complex Surgical ICU patient that had been in the unit for over a month, trached on a ventilator with a large open abdomen, multiple tubes, lines and drains, unstable on vasopressors, with pulmonary artery catheter monitoring. His hospitalization had come to the point where the family was ready to make end of life care decisions. This family was of Hmong faith. This faith believes that the way the individual passes is the way they are presented on the other side in the afterlife. Prior to his passing on this late evening, Meredith spent several hours along with the women of the family present, preparing his body prior to his death for presentation in the afterlife. This included shaving, washing his entire body, preparing him fully clothed in a suit, tie all underclothes, shoes, socks, belt, etc. with all of the tubes, lines, drains, and all ICU monitoring equipment attached. Meredith kept the patient safe and dignified while getting all of the specialty equipment prepared, such as tracing the Foley, Flexi-seal, down the leg of the pantsuit. This family also requested Meredith have respiratory therapist stay at the bedside in the room with his withdrawal of life-saving treatment. Meredith displays caring, compassionate, culturally diverse exemplary care for not only all the patients she cares for but the families as well. This was a very time-consuming process for her, not to mention she had another patient to care for. Her team stepped up to the plate to allow her time to give the care needed. The process of grieving, allowing the patient to pass according to wishes and beliefs displayed a phenomenal trail that nurses are blessed to be a part of. This family praised and recognized Meredith.