Jocelyn Hahn
July 2021
Jocelyn
Hahn
,
BSN, RN
Labor and Delivery
University of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore
,
MD
United States

 

 

 

When Jocelyn wasn’t assigned to be my nurse, she would always try to come in to see how I was.
Jocelyn saved me. At 26 weeks pregnant my water broke prematurely, and I was rushed to the hospital. My first night in triage was scary and I wasn’t sure I could handle what was to come. The next morning, Jocelyn was my triage nurse and that was the first day of what turned into what I know will be a lifelong friendship, as I will never forget the unwavering physical and emotional care she provided me during my month and a half hospital stay. Jocelyn was the perfect balance of friendly yet not overbearing, reassuring but realistic, and she was an incredible expert in her field, yet still able to relate and explain to the non-medically proficient patient.

Throughout my stay, she continuously educated me on my condition. As things were always changing and, as it is a teaching hospital, there was a stream of different doctors managing my care, she was a constant, confident presence. She would always go through any changes and review my chart, not just to provide medical care but to then help translate for me. She gave me options when possible and was the best advocate for me the entire stay. In fact, Jocelyn even caught a mistake -when a resident had prescribed a medication for me that the doctor had previously said not to give.

When she wasn’t assigned to be my nurse, she would always try to come in to see how I was. She just went so far above and beyond, and I know she does it for all of her patients. Due to covid, my young son was unable to visit. After being together every day and every night for the past year especially, but all five years of his life, the hospital stay was incredibly stressful and sad as I longed to be with him and he with me. My husband had to virtually stop working as we did not have childcare for my son. I had no clue if I would go into labor at any moment or be stuck on bed rest away from my family, with limited visitation allowed, for two more months.

Needless to say, I was stressed, sad, and scared. When Jocelyn was my nurse, my anxiety went down, my vitals were better. I felt comforted knowing I was in the best hands medically speaking and also would be taken care of emotionally too. If every patient had a nurse like her, patient outcomes would be significantly improved. While there, I also got to witness her teaching other nurses or training new hires. As with her patient care, she taught in the most patient, thorough, yet expert manner. Not only was she a triage nurse who onboarded other nurses, she also was responsible for the safety certification of their unit by a third party (during the time of covid.) I constantly witnessed her putting her head down and getting the work done.