Daniel Terrell
May 2016
Daniel
Terrell
,
BSN, RN
Thoracic Surgery Care Unit
Carilion Clinic
Roanoke
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

Daniel worked with the patient and our family as we transitioned our family member from life support. He anticipated the patent's needs and worked very gently to make her as comfortable as he could. He was very knowledgeable and was able to communicate with the family so that we understood what was going on and what to anticipate. He showed empathy and provided great care. He worked to anticipate the needs of the family and make the stay as pleasant as possible by providing drinks, food, blankets and other items for our comfort. He looked after the needs of the patient and the family and we sensed that he really cared. The care that we received made a very unpleasant situation as pleasant as it could be, and much more pleasant than we anticipated.
***
Although a relatively new nurse, Daniel shows a commitment and compassion to the patients in his care. One recent experience in particular sticks out, where a patient and her husband were given the unfortunate news of a breast cancer diagnosis; the patient remained intubated and sedated due to complications from her symptoms, and the husband confided in staff that he was unable to provide financial care for himself and that he relied on the patient to help with that. Daniel was contacted by a representative of a Carilion group that provides financial assistance to women who are diagnosed and undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and was able to help the husband complete the necessary paperwork. He followed up in submitting the paperwork for the family to ensure that it went to the right people, and made sure that the oncoming nurse for the next shift had the brochures that were forwarded to him in order to provide further information for the husband. Although the end result was unfortunate, Daniel showed an extraordinary passion for helping, along with a tender heart and compassion.