October 2019
Channing
Markham
,
BSN
9 M ICU
Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Bedford
,
VA
United States
I have had the pleasure of working with Channing Markham off and on since she started in the ICU under the "Adopt a Student Nurse Program", and I feel then that I knew she would be a great nurse. She has not proven me wrong. I have never truly had the opportunity to work side by side in consecutive days with Channing until these past three weeks when our schedules paired evenly together. I am glad I got a real chance to see how she has grown from a student to a nurse.
Our first shift together we ran into a severely ill trauma patient, that would have been a lot for a seasoned nurse. Watching Channing dive into this was intense. Even more so was how she advocated for her patient nonstop, never hesitating to call and work up the chain to get what she felt her patient needed. Channing has matured into such a knowledgeable enthusiastic patient advocate. She has become respected by her coworkers, physicians and physician extenders. She has truly proven herself as an excellent bedside caregiver. It was not only her perseverance for her patient that I write this, but it's also her connection with the family she has excelled in. This patient's family had a connection with her that was refreshing to see. They hung on her every word and not only during the trying times but during her early stable times too. The family would seek her out for her knowledge and her compassion, they really and honestly looked up to her and were so saddened when the patient had to be transferred for more intensive care than we could offer. It did not stop there though. Channing was truly saddened that she would not be bedside to care for her patient after all the mental time she had invested, and the family knew it and they kept in contact with her to update and thank her as much as possible. When Channing got the tragic news that she hoped she would not hear, you could see the wind taken from her sail. It really hurt those that knew how far she went for that patient and the family.
In the following week, Channing again had a challenging patient under her care and just like the last one, she jumped straight in without testing the water. As I watched her, I realized that was just her way and not a coping mechanism for the last patient. She immediately gained the trust of the patient and again advocated as far as she had to, to get what she felt was in the best interest of her patient's care. The family had no problem again latching onto every word of education and comfort she had to give. Within minutes, Channing knew every family member and their stories of life with the patient. She spent hours on end just talking to her patient and getting to know him and reassuring him that she was there for him first and then everyone else. This patient again had severe trauma and there were many decisions to be made. Channing was there for every one of them to enlighten him and be supportive of his decisions, and she was just as supportive of his daughter and sisters. She showed an immense amount of strength and compassion again during this time, more than her years of service convey.
I am just so happy to be able to work with a nurse such as Channing. Someone with a very strong knowledge base that she can convey as a friend, someone with the heart of an angel, someone with a comforting smile that quickly disarms the most apprehensive patient and family. As I typed this Channing was told that this patient did not make it and although the wind is gone from her sail, her patients for today and their families will never even have a hint to what she found out today. That is truly some strength for such a young nurse and person.
In these last three weeks, Channing has not only shown me every day, but also her patients and their families what is good and right about nursing. I hope that I have been able to relay how impressed I am with her. I have been in health care for almost 30 years and this is only the second time that anyone has truly impressed me, someone, who is not impressed easily. Caring, knowledge, compassion, humor, understanding, sympathy and empathy - Channing has each of these attributes in abundance and each was shown in extreme these past three weeks.
Our first shift together we ran into a severely ill trauma patient, that would have been a lot for a seasoned nurse. Watching Channing dive into this was intense. Even more so was how she advocated for her patient nonstop, never hesitating to call and work up the chain to get what she felt her patient needed. Channing has matured into such a knowledgeable enthusiastic patient advocate. She has become respected by her coworkers, physicians and physician extenders. She has truly proven herself as an excellent bedside caregiver. It was not only her perseverance for her patient that I write this, but it's also her connection with the family she has excelled in. This patient's family had a connection with her that was refreshing to see. They hung on her every word and not only during the trying times but during her early stable times too. The family would seek her out for her knowledge and her compassion, they really and honestly looked up to her and were so saddened when the patient had to be transferred for more intensive care than we could offer. It did not stop there though. Channing was truly saddened that she would not be bedside to care for her patient after all the mental time she had invested, and the family knew it and they kept in contact with her to update and thank her as much as possible. When Channing got the tragic news that she hoped she would not hear, you could see the wind taken from her sail. It really hurt those that knew how far she went for that patient and the family.
In the following week, Channing again had a challenging patient under her care and just like the last one, she jumped straight in without testing the water. As I watched her, I realized that was just her way and not a coping mechanism for the last patient. She immediately gained the trust of the patient and again advocated as far as she had to, to get what she felt was in the best interest of her patient's care. The family had no problem again latching onto every word of education and comfort she had to give. Within minutes, Channing knew every family member and their stories of life with the patient. She spent hours on end just talking to her patient and getting to know him and reassuring him that she was there for him first and then everyone else. This patient again had severe trauma and there were many decisions to be made. Channing was there for every one of them to enlighten him and be supportive of his decisions, and she was just as supportive of his daughter and sisters. She showed an immense amount of strength and compassion again during this time, more than her years of service convey.
I am just so happy to be able to work with a nurse such as Channing. Someone with a very strong knowledge base that she can convey as a friend, someone with the heart of an angel, someone with a comforting smile that quickly disarms the most apprehensive patient and family. As I typed this Channing was told that this patient did not make it and although the wind is gone from her sail, her patients for today and their families will never even have a hint to what she found out today. That is truly some strength for such a young nurse and person.
In these last three weeks, Channing has not only shown me every day, but also her patients and their families what is good and right about nursing. I hope that I have been able to relay how impressed I am with her. I have been in health care for almost 30 years and this is only the second time that anyone has truly impressed me, someone, who is not impressed easily. Caring, knowledge, compassion, humor, understanding, sympathy and empathy - Channing has each of these attributes in abundance and each was shown in extreme these past three weeks.