Lindsay came into work and received in report that her patient had a discharge order to SNF. She was told in the report that the patient had seemed lethargic overnight, but nothing more extreme than that. MD rounded and agreed with discharge to SNF. As she sat down to start her day, she observed that the patient had not had labs since about 3 days ago.

Lindsay talked with the physician and advocated for labs to be ordered based on the patient's presentation. The MD agreed but said that from his standpoint, the patient seemed alert and oriented and could still be discharged. Lindsay got the labs, and multiple values had more than doubled, raising concerns. Lindsay reached out to the MD and alerted him of a change in the labs from a few days ago. This prompted several orders to be placed to further investigate. It turns out the patient was beginning to become septic from an undiagnosed UTI.

Obviously, the discharge was discontinued, and the patient received the proper care they needed. Nurses like Lindsay are such a blessing. They always have the best interest of the patient at heart and advocate fiercely for them. Lindsay saved this patient from being wrongly discharged, saving them a readmission to the hospital or worse. The family was very grateful for the care they received from Lindsay, and it was very evident that a keen eye and courage to speak up from Lindsay alerted the MD to concerns that had gone unnoticed. Lindsay demonstrated our promises as an organization.