October 2015
Younghee
Kang
,
RN
Surgical ICU
UC Irvine Medical Center
Orange
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

SICU is the receiving unit for all post-op open heart patients. Sometimes, these patients come to us pre-operatively and we drop them off to pre-op for their surgery. One night, we had a young male patient who was going to have open heart surgery the next day. The patient was nervous and anxious but the patient was re-assured and given some medication to help calm his nerves. The next morning, when dropping him off to pre-op, the patient was again anxious and scared, to the point where he was crying. Luckily, Young was working that morning. Young talked to the patient in her kind and calm manner. She told him that just a few months ago, she was in the same bed, in the same pre-op room, awaiting her own open heart surgery. She told him that he was going to the same OR and the same surgeon that she had would be operating on him. Look at her now, less than one year later, she is back to work. Young was able to give herself and share her own experience to calm the fears of the patient. She had been there, in his shoes, and she wanted him to know that it would be ok. Young has shared her story with other cardiothoracic patients and they are comforted to see her smiling face post-open heart surgery. Young is truly deserving of the DAISY Award, thank you.