Sarah English
June 2017
Sarah
English
,
BSN, RN
Gibson
Maine Medical Center
Portland
,
ME
United States
Working in oncology and assisting patients and family and respecting their wishes can be challenging and rewarding for the nursing staff. Sarah is one of those nurses who deserves the DAISY Award for her outstanding leadership and hard work she does for her patients and families with grace and respect. Sarah makes eye contact and truly listens to the needs of her patients, and goes above and beyond the expectations of patients, families, and staff. Sarah is the nurse who does an amazing nursing job never forgetting any details no matter how small or large without anyone knowing.
Comments from a patient's daughter and granddaughter whose mother has CNS Lymphoma whose mental status is 100% confused due to her disease and chemotherapy. The patient requires constant attention (often needing a sitter for safety reasons) to prevent her from hurting herself, will not pull out her IV lines or Foley catheter and redirect her communication to others.
This is what the daughter and granddaughter said about Sarah: "Sarah is always very patient with my mother; she is always laughing with her and present with her. She is constantly asking how she is and if she has pain. She's respectful of our family and our time with her while doing her job at the same time. She doesn't hover or linger, she spends her time efficiently especially while we visit with my mother. She's always incredibly friendly and always positive."
"I relax when I call daily to check on my mother and Sarah is giving me a full detail description of my mother's day, I can sleep at night and try to have a normal life."
Another example of Sarah's compassion and focus on family centered care is over a weekend the patient and her husband decided she wanted to die at home instead of at the hospital. This patient and her family had been struggling with the inevitable outcome of her disease for two weeks here on Gibson. This was a particularly difficult decision for her and her husband to come to considering they have very young children. Sarah took the task and immediately notified Gibson's care manager as well as the physician team to get the patient safely home with all the proper equipment she would need, to review her medications and put in place all services so that the patient could manage, ensuring the patient could have a respectful peaceful death at home with her loving husband, children, and dog at her side. Sarah made it all happen seamlessly despite the short notice and it being a weekend, also managing three other complex patients. Without Sarah's hard work, leadership, compassionate care, and persistence I do not believe that this patient's wishes would have come to fruition.
Sarah English is a remarkable example of what a DAISY Nurse should be and a phenomenal asset to Gibson and Maine Medical Center.
Comments from a patient's daughter and granddaughter whose mother has CNS Lymphoma whose mental status is 100% confused due to her disease and chemotherapy. The patient requires constant attention (often needing a sitter for safety reasons) to prevent her from hurting herself, will not pull out her IV lines or Foley catheter and redirect her communication to others.
This is what the daughter and granddaughter said about Sarah: "Sarah is always very patient with my mother; she is always laughing with her and present with her. She is constantly asking how she is and if she has pain. She's respectful of our family and our time with her while doing her job at the same time. She doesn't hover or linger, she spends her time efficiently especially while we visit with my mother. She's always incredibly friendly and always positive."
"I relax when I call daily to check on my mother and Sarah is giving me a full detail description of my mother's day, I can sleep at night and try to have a normal life."
Another example of Sarah's compassion and focus on family centered care is over a weekend the patient and her husband decided she wanted to die at home instead of at the hospital. This patient and her family had been struggling with the inevitable outcome of her disease for two weeks here on Gibson. This was a particularly difficult decision for her and her husband to come to considering they have very young children. Sarah took the task and immediately notified Gibson's care manager as well as the physician team to get the patient safely home with all the proper equipment she would need, to review her medications and put in place all services so that the patient could manage, ensuring the patient could have a respectful peaceful death at home with her loving husband, children, and dog at her side. Sarah made it all happen seamlessly despite the short notice and it being a weekend, also managing three other complex patients. Without Sarah's hard work, leadership, compassionate care, and persistence I do not believe that this patient's wishes would have come to fruition.
Sarah English is a remarkable example of what a DAISY Nurse should be and a phenomenal asset to Gibson and Maine Medical Center.