Jenifer Fabian
May 2017
Jenifer
Fabian
,
BSN, RN
Medical Stepdown Unit
Morristown Medical Center
Morristown
,
NJ
United States

 

 

 

Jen is that nurse you hope is working when something goes wrong. Her clinical skills are exceptional and she just always seems to know what to do. She is not afraid to speak her mind when she does not think interventions are appropriate and advocates for her patients to ensure the plan of care is always suitable, especially when the patient cannot verbalize for themselves. One example of this advocacy was during a stretch of days in which she was caring for a young woman who had been admitted for unresponsiveness. The patient arrived to the unit responsive and could be heard yelling throughout the hallways. The patient was resistant to care and restless. Jen developed a very good rapport with the patient and was able to curb the patient's yelling. She was able to get the patient to smile and laugh instead! Jen was also able to engage the patient with participation in her own care and promoted early mobility so the patient would remain at her baseline activity. Jen had recognized significant changes in the patient's lower extremity function within 24 hours of admission. These changes were concerning to Jen since this patient was a patient was ambulatory when she was admitted. In addition, Jen noted other changes in her neurological assessment of the patient from previous findings and shared her concerns with the primary team. The team told Jen it was probably due to the medication regimen the patient was on to keep her calm. Jen did not accept that response and continued to verbalize her concerns for this patient, a person who was unable to do so for themselves. Jen was persistent in her follow up and identifying specific areas of concern to the team who finally agreed to have Neurology see the patient. The Neurologist agreed with Jen's assessment and further work up was initiated to investigate whether the findings where related to seizures. The patient was stabilized out of our unit to the neuro floor and her medications were adjusted to meet these new results. This outcome most likely would have never happened without Jen. Jen was essential in assuring this patient received the correct care she needed. What makes Jen's care remarkable is her activism for patients and not hesitating to speak up for them to ensure the plan of care is appropriate. Thank you Jen for your exceptional care and clinical excellence you deliver to patients on our unit.