Marlene Arango
April 2023
Marlene
Arango
,
RN
5 North
St. Joseph's Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
She was instrumental in allowing this family to be heard and allowing them to grieve with her.
Marlene is fairly new to her role here at St. Joseph's Hospital, but she has come to this team with one thought in mind...to better the lives of patients and their families. The short time that she has been here has been nothing short of extraordinary. If you know the population of 5 North...it is a special one. This unit cares for some of the sickest patients, outside of critical care, in the hospital. Many of our patients are underprivileged, underserved, or have limited resources to ensure their life outside of the hospital is a fruitful one. She has been so instrumental in many of our complicated discharges and truly puts her heart and soul into her work. She is constantly following up and following through on discharge and care plans.
There are many patients that she sees on a daily basis but a specific situation that comes to mind was when we had a trauma patient. The family was Spanish-speaking only and did not understand their loved one's full plan of care. Although physicians and nurses would attempt to discuss the plan of care, the family did not truly understand the entire situation. It was not until she took the time to meet with them each day to help them understand the grave situation that their loved one was in and that the patient had no meaningful recovery per the physician's notes.
She organized a family meeting with the family members, the providers, palliative care, nursing leadership, and herself to help the family cope with the situation. Because of her efforts, the family was able to come to terms with allowing their loved one to remain comfortable. After the patient was made CMO, she continued to check in with the family to make sure all needs were being met. She was instrumental in allowing this family to be heard and allowing them to grieve with her. We do not see people like her come around very often and she truly has a heart of gold. She doesn't just ask the nursing team to talk to patients or families to find out discharge needs, she takes the time to make relationships with each of them and make them feel like they will succeed once they are discharged. It is an absolute privilege to work with her and although she is a Case Manager, she is a nurse first and deserves a DAISY Award.
There are many patients that she sees on a daily basis but a specific situation that comes to mind was when we had a trauma patient. The family was Spanish-speaking only and did not understand their loved one's full plan of care. Although physicians and nurses would attempt to discuss the plan of care, the family did not truly understand the entire situation. It was not until she took the time to meet with them each day to help them understand the grave situation that their loved one was in and that the patient had no meaningful recovery per the physician's notes.
She organized a family meeting with the family members, the providers, palliative care, nursing leadership, and herself to help the family cope with the situation. Because of her efforts, the family was able to come to terms with allowing their loved one to remain comfortable. After the patient was made CMO, she continued to check in with the family to make sure all needs were being met. She was instrumental in allowing this family to be heard and allowing them to grieve with her. We do not see people like her come around very often and she truly has a heart of gold. She doesn't just ask the nursing team to talk to patients or families to find out discharge needs, she takes the time to make relationships with each of them and make them feel like they will succeed once they are discharged. It is an absolute privilege to work with her and although she is a Case Manager, she is a nurse first and deserves a DAISY Award.