Rick Heskett
July 2016
Richard
Heskett
,
ASN, RN
ED
Morton Plant Hospital
Clearwater
,
FL
United States

 

 

 

As the Administrator on Duty, I want to praise Rick for his help. At 0300, amidst my 4th Code Blue, 3rd Code Grey, and 3rd Rapid Response Team notification, I got a call from the Sleep Study Center where a 93-year-old patient with early dementia woke up from her sleep study "because she gets up every day at 3 am" and insisted on going home. Since she had received a ride, she had no way to get home. The patient lived independently, knew her address, knew how to get home, the date, the name of her children, etc. As her children were both out of town, I called Rick to see if we had other options available. We discussed sending her home via cab as long as when she arrived she was to call us and let us know she arrived safely. Rick, knowing I was juggling several crises said, "You go handle the codes and everything else and I will take care of our patient".
Rick hailed the taxi, rode to the Sleep Study Center, and met with the patient. He made sure we were providing her a safe discharge, helped her into the taxi, and made sure the driver had her correct address. He then followed through with a phone call to confirm she arrived home without incident.
Rick has gone over and beyond to help me on many occasions. I want to recognize his dedication, teamwork, and professionalism. He is an asset to me as the night AOD; I want him to know that his small act of kindness helped me immensely and I truly appreciate him!