April 2024
Mimi
Hein
,
BSN, RN
Med Surg Neuro
Medical City North Hills
North Richland Hills
,
TX
United States
Once the nurse found out that the patient loved to watch princess movies, she found the Disney channel, which made the patient extremely happy to the point of talking, laughing, and wanting to participate in care.
This nurse demonstrates the values of a nurse (compassion, empathy, care, trustworthiness, etc.) in her everyday workday. This nurse goes above and beyond with both her patients and her co-workers. There was an autistic patient who was transferred to our floor. From prior reports, this patient was not verbal and not interacting with anyone except their mother or sister. A day passed with this patient on the unit, and they continued nonverbal and not engaging with the staff. The day after, this nurse was assigned to the patient. While doing rounds, this patient spoke with me and stated that he was so happy that we could find the Disney channel for him. The mom then explained that the patient loves Disney princesses and that while the nurse was in the room, she engaged the patient in conversation and was able to make a personal connection regarding Disney princesses. Once the nurse found out that the patient loved to watch princess movies, she found the Disney channel, which made the patient extremely happy to the point of talking, laughing, and wanting to participate in care. This patient verbalized feeling very glad and verbalized to their mother, "If you ever have to take me to the hospital, bring me here, they care about me here". The patient's mother also verbalized feeling grateful for this nurse. Because the patient was not interacting with staff and the mother had to stay and assist with facilitating care, she was spending the night at the bedside. The patient's mother verbalized feeling cared for as well. The nurse provided her with a recliner, showed her how to adjust the chair, and gave her extra pillows and blankets. Besides feeling cared for, the patient's mother verbalized feeling safe, which allowed her to leave the unit to go home to shower and eat. The effort to get to know the patient and family and allow them to be comfortable changed the outlook of this patient, allowing them to participate in therapy and improve drastically. This nurse was able to connect with the patient, make them feel heard and understood, and they were able to trust.