Working with developmental disability patients is not for the faint of heart. There are great days, but like any nursing specialty, there can also be not-so-good ones. Patients with developmental delays, significant seizure activities, cancers, tracheostomies, central lines or feeding tube can often be quite challenging to take care of in an outpatient setting. The clinic where Irene works is the only High Acuity Center in Arkansas. All the trach admissions, no matter how far they live from the clinic, must drive to Davita Central Little Rock for care.

We were at the point where we were not going to be able to take care of a patient because of her cognitive delays affecting her ability to stay on treatment. The patient would often cry, fight, and even spit on nurses due to being overstimulated by an unfamiliar environment. Irene stepped up and thought of several ways that we could help the patient feel calm and welcome. She provided math worksheets, crossword puzzles, and headphones to allow the patient to remain occupied for her four-hour treatment.

These things tremendously impacted the patient’s ability to remain on treatment and for us to provide life-sustaining dialysis treatment to this patient. Irene made a great impression on this patient, and whenever Irene is not working the shift that the patient is being treated, you can hear the patient throughout the clinic saying, "Where is my friend Irene?"