Ashley N Whalen
October 2020
Ashley N
Whalen
,
RN II
Outpatient Cardiology
Northern Light Mercy Hospital
Portland
,
ME
United States
Ashley provides extensive patient education on anticoagulation therapy, including diet and medication dosage and administration. She sees the whole healthcare picture when caring for her patients and does not focus solely on her own discipline.
There are countless things that Ashley does on a daily basis that are above and beyond expectation, to meet her standard of exceptional patient care. She walks in the door every day with a smile that is infectious and consistently has her patients smiling and laughing on their way out the door. I have found myself thinking on numerous occasions how can I show her how much we appreciate all that she does for her patients? How can I tell her she is doing what she was put on this earth to do? When I brought this to my manager she said, "let's show her by nominating her for a DAISY Award."
Ashley Whalen is a relatively new nurse who joined our team 2 years ago as a new graduate. She was brought on board to staff our anti-coagulation clinic here in the Cardiology practice, yet she does so much more than manage INRs and instruct patients on appropriate medication doses. She can regularly be found covering for the nurses in the outlying practices or altering her schedule to meet staffing needs.
One of our anti-coagulation patients, who is fortunate enough to see Ashley on a regular basis, is also a patient of multiple other Mercy physicians. This particular patient is a non-English speaking individual, and we rely entirely on our new iPad interpretation service to meet all of her needs. While an average anti-coagulation visit lasts about 20 minutes, Ashley often spends the better part of an hour with this patient in an effort to ensure that her total healthcare needs are met. Those needs often include but are not limited to the coordination and scheduling of all of her upcoming appointments system-wide, placing medication refill requests as needed, ensuring that the patients leave the clinic with a clear understanding of her upcoming healthcare needs, and determining if the patient has healthcare needs that require urgent attention. Additionally, Ashley provides extensive patient education on anticoagulation therapy, including diet and medication dosage and administration. She sees the whole healthcare picture when caring for her patients and does not focus solely on her own discipline.
Ashley never sees the additional needs of her patients as a burden to her day, but rather has been heard saying, "I wish I could do more", on a number of occasions. She never complains about the additional work. In fact, she rarely shares the extent of additional care she provides. This does not go unnoticed by her peers. Ashley is truly an example of a nurse who provides compassionate, holistic care. She demonstrates those qualities that set Mercy nurses apart from others and is an exceptional example for all new nurses.
Ashley Whalen is a relatively new nurse who joined our team 2 years ago as a new graduate. She was brought on board to staff our anti-coagulation clinic here in the Cardiology practice, yet she does so much more than manage INRs and instruct patients on appropriate medication doses. She can regularly be found covering for the nurses in the outlying practices or altering her schedule to meet staffing needs.
One of our anti-coagulation patients, who is fortunate enough to see Ashley on a regular basis, is also a patient of multiple other Mercy physicians. This particular patient is a non-English speaking individual, and we rely entirely on our new iPad interpretation service to meet all of her needs. While an average anti-coagulation visit lasts about 20 minutes, Ashley often spends the better part of an hour with this patient in an effort to ensure that her total healthcare needs are met. Those needs often include but are not limited to the coordination and scheduling of all of her upcoming appointments system-wide, placing medication refill requests as needed, ensuring that the patients leave the clinic with a clear understanding of her upcoming healthcare needs, and determining if the patient has healthcare needs that require urgent attention. Additionally, Ashley provides extensive patient education on anticoagulation therapy, including diet and medication dosage and administration. She sees the whole healthcare picture when caring for her patients and does not focus solely on her own discipline.
Ashley never sees the additional needs of her patients as a burden to her day, but rather has been heard saying, "I wish I could do more", on a number of occasions. She never complains about the additional work. In fact, she rarely shares the extent of additional care she provides. This does not go unnoticed by her peers. Ashley is truly an example of a nurse who provides compassionate, holistic care. She demonstrates those qualities that set Mercy nurses apart from others and is an exceptional example for all new nurses.