Amanda was the day shift nurse for a complex patient while working in the CICU on a weekend. The patient was being prepped for discharge for the following week. The patient's family needed to do a 24 hour stay where the family does all the care while the nurse observes. The patient's mother asked Amanda if she could start her 24 hour stay. Amanda said yes she could. Come to find out, this mom had been asking for the past 3-4 days to do her 24 hour stay and no one took the initiative to start it, but Amanda did. Amanda went above and beyond. She coordinated with the NPs and charge to get this 24 hour stay done because it also fell on a long holiday weekend where the normal care managers and coordinators were not easily available. Amanda made a schedule for mom and worked with the pharmacist to get a medication schedule done. Amanda also took into consideration the patient was having a hard time swallowing pills and asked which ones could be changed over to liquid so the patient could take her medicine. Amanda worked so hard that 12 hour shift to make sure this mom could get her stay in so the mom and patient could go home and do so safely.
As an SRU nurse and floating between units, Amanda used her knowledge and spread it. The CICU usually does not do discharges and especially complex discharges home. Amanda worked with the providers and charge nurses to help this patient and their family. Amanda made my job easier to help mom also. I was the nurse that came on after Amanda. Mom had the schedule and medication sheet in hand and was ready to go. Mom kept praising Amanda during my shift for getting the ball started and getting the 24 hour stay started. During conversations with mom and the patient, you could tell that Amanda made a difference because they kept bringing up how close they were to going home and how the stay is one step closer to being over. Amanda went above and beyond that shift. She jungled being a bedside RN, to being a care manager that day to the patient who needed it. She stayed extra just make sure mom felt comfortable and all the ducks were in a row.
Amanda made a special connection with the patient's family because she helped them to get discharged. Amanda stepped up to the plate and talked with mom about what they would like to do.