Kathryn Bolton
March 2025
Kathryn
Bolton
,
ADN, RN
5th Floor Medical Surgical Unit
Wellstar Paulding Medical Center
Hiram
,
GA
United States
Her ability to clearly communicate what was occurring to me and my mother was calming and reassuring.
As a backstory, my family has multiple generations and family members with polycystic kidneys, including my grandfather, my mother, myself, and two of my siblings. My mother, one of my brothers, and I are all transplant recipients. I highlight this because, as you can imagine, I have navigated dozens of hospital systems, infusion centers, and doctor' s offices for care for myself and my family. I know firsthand that nurses make a significant difference in patient outcomes. At times, this is comfort and care; at others, it is a matter of life and death, quite literally. It is wonderful to witness a nurse driven by compassion and professionalism. It' s easy to see why nurses have inspired art, angels, and literature. While I do not mean to directly compare Kathryn to a saint or an angel, her skill as a nurse, her bedside manner, and her compassion may lend themselves to such lofty comparisons. The level of care I witnessed has context and meaning given my and my family' s experiences.
Expert Provider of Healthcare: My mother has a Vas Cath placed for dialysis, and this had a difficult time clotting for the PICC line team. Once they had the bleeding semi- under control, Kathryn, who had been staying close, did a routine set of questions to assess how she was feeling. My mom complained of neck pain and a headache. With the situation unclear, and without showing any panic or emotional change that would alarm my mom, Kathryn called Rapid Response for a second set of eyes. Her ability to clearly communicate what was occurring to me and my mother was calming and reassuring. I would also point out that this was a great call. Not noted in her records in Georgia is that my mother had two aneurysms clipped 15 years ago in Connecticut. There is always a risk with her, and those are presenting symptoms.
Compassion: My mother has a great deal of confusion from a UTI that has spread. Kathryn patiently explained all her conditions, medications, and the situation to us. Yes, this is the standard of care one should expect. Demonstrating the same professional approach multiple times a day and maintaining an outstanding level of care, patience, and compassion speaks to who she is as a caregiver.