August 2016
Lee
Pohlenz
,
RN
3B Orthopedics
Denver Health and Hospital
Denver
,
CO
United States

 

 

 

We had a patient on our unit who was elderly and found down at her nursing home. Lee took care of this patient the first couple of nights of her hospitalization. During this time, her son was out of state. Every morning, the patient's son would call and Lee would give him a 30-minute update on the patient. On Lee's last shift for the week, the son stated he wished he could meet Lee, because Lee is just so good. Lee extended himself saying he would be on campus for training and he would come up to the patient's room to meet her son. Lee came on Thursday after his Epic calls, but as luck would have it her sons left to eat lunch. Lee waited around for a while before deciding he would try again on Friday. When the patient's son came back from lunch I explained that Lee had come and gone. Again, her son expressed grateful he was for Lee and how reassured he felt when Lee was his mother's night nurse. The next day the patient died. She died rather suddenly, but peacefully. The usual imminent signs of death never came. Her son is a doctor; despite this he was still stunned by his mother's death. We notified Lee of the patient passing and a short time later, Lee came to the unit. Lee went into the patient's room and was with her sons. Lee spent at least 20 minutes with the patient's sons. It was so touching. Lee had never personally met the patient sons, yet he had a deep human connection with them. Observing moments and actions such as Lee's reminds me to always strive to be a better nurse; to serve wholeheartedly.