May 2017
Teresa
Birch
,
RN
Cardiac Stepdown Unit
Genesis Health System
Davenport
,
IA
United States

 

 

 

We had a confused patient on our unit and it was difficult to keep her focus and to keep her calm. That day she was very upset and confused and seemed to be having a bad day. I was across the hall and could hear singing. When I came out of the room, I could see Teresa in the patient's room singing and clapping with the patient. The patient no longer looked concerned or had tears in her eyes. She was singing and clapping with a pretty big smile on her face. I've worked in the medical field for about six years now and have never seen someone take time to do something like that with a patient. Teresa is an exceptional nurse with a huge passion to care for people. To go above and beyond or out of her way to help patients is something I witness from her almost on a daily basis. She is a great role model for not only myself, but anyone who works on our floor or students studying to become nurses. She has also put together a drawer of all kinds of items for patients so they have something to pass the time, keep them busy or pull their focus to something positive instead of negative. She has made picture cards categorized into groups like animals, gardening, cars, or scenery. There are also cards, dominos, sensory items, coloring pages, a "find it in a jar" and other miscellaneous items.