When you think of patient-centered care, teamwork, and compassion for others, Mike could be the poster child. He consistently goes above and beyond to connect with his patients in a meaningful way, and he is quick to offer assistance to other staff on the unit.
One day, we had received a confused, combative patient to the unit. He had already struck the transport staff on the way to the floor, and he was accompanied by Public Safety when he arrived to 9T. He was promptly placed in four-point restraints. This was not Mike's patient, but he immediately went to the room with the female nurse, started engaging the patient in conversation, and assisted the nurse with asking the admission questions. At first, the patient was very belligerent and loud, but by the time Mike left the room he had calmed the patient down, had him conversing normally, and we were able to remove the restraints.
Another example of Mike's patient-centered care was seen recently when we had a patient on the unit with vague, unspecific visual complaints. Mike listened to the patient, performed a thorough neuro assessment, and noticed that her pupils were unequal. He notified the physician, who ordered a CT, and long story short, the patient was soon on her way to ICU with a brain bleed. This patient could have had a very different outcome had Mike not listened and taken action to provide the best possible care for her.
One last example of Mike's teamwork is his mentoring of a new nurse that he precepted on the unit. The nurse is out of orientation now, but every day Mike keeps a check on her throughout the day to make sure she is keeping up, and he helps her get her tasks done when she starts to fall behind. Mike is truly a great example of the heart and soul of nursing!