April 2013
Misana
Vantosky
,
BSN
MICU
UPMC Presbyterian
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

When dealing with chronic patients, it can be a challenge. It can even be more of a challenge when the patients become depressed and their families cannot make it in to visit the patient as often as they would like. We have a patient in our unit who has been with us for awhile whose family is 3 hours away and can't make it in but once on the weekends to visit her. She has become increasingly depressed and always wants someone to keep her company in the room even when her nurse is busy across the hall with her other patient. Misana showed true patience with this patient while caring for her for 3 days. It would have been easy for her to ask for an assignment change after day 1 but persevered and cared for her for 3 twelve hour shifts. She went out of her way each day to provide the patient with as much company as possible - even enlisting respiratory therapy and neighbor nurses to go in once awhile and try to lift the patient's spirits. She was able to get pet therapy to see the patient - knowing the patient has a dog at home whom she dearly misses - the pet therapy worked for awhile but as soon as the dog left the patient's spirits fell. So this nurse went to the gift shop and bought the patient a stuffed dog, which the patient named Goldie, to keep the patient company. The patient's eyes lit up at the site of Goldie and she immediately hugged the dog. As each nurse went into the patient's room, she would show off Goldie and tell them how she got her the dog. The patient was so proud and happy. It is moments like this that make one proud to be a nurse and to say that you work with Misana.