Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

SVMC recognizes nurses for exceptional patient care and compassion

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, honored four nurses with DAISY awards this fall, recognizing exceptional care provided to patients.

The DAISY Award is an international recognition program honoring clinical excellence and outstanding compassionate care provided by nurses. Nurses are nominated by patients, families or colleagues and SVMC surprises the recipients with the honor. Awards are given out monthly.

Below are the most recent honorees and the submission SVMC received from their nominators.

Alexandra Martinez, BSN, RN – Medical-Surgical Unit

 “Multiple individuals across the departments wanted to recognize this nurse as they cared for a patient with prolonged hospitalization and an unfortunate poor prognosis. The patient’s birthday occurred while in hospital, and this RN worked to ensure that his birthday was celebrated as best as possible. This RN coordinated with multiple staff across departments to obtain small gift items, wrapped them, printed a card, obtained fresh cut flowers, had the kitchen bring up the patient’s favorite meal and a special dessert. In addition, This RN gathered many different staff members who came in to help present items to the patient. This RN was determined to ensure this man was celebrated. Thank you to this RN for providing this level of care, compassion and dedication. The patient and his family were extremely touched by this gesture. We are very fortunate to have this RN as part of our team role modeling excellence!”

Jaclyn Hoag, BSN, RN – Endoscopy

 “I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy today. My nurse noticed what appeared to be a discrepancy in my report of my medication. This prompted her to take deep dive into my gastroenterological record, in search of the correct dosage and prescribing doctor. While doing that, she asked additional medical history questions that I had not previously been asked, and looking even further into the record was able to find notations of a specific procedure that was recommended following my last scope, three years ago. Because this nurse took the time to consider something as simple as my report of my medication regiment, she was able to discover an important piece of my gastroenterological health that did not appear to be on anyone else’s radar, including my own.  I’ll now be able to get appropriate attention for that condition. Because of her professionalism, attention to detail, and helpful bedside manner, I would like to nominate her for this recognition.”

Megen Niquette, BSN, RN – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

 “Recently, my husband was in the hospital for procedure with Dr. S. His nurse while in recovery was one of the most compassionate and caring individuals, I have ever had the good fortune of meeting. She had explained to both my husband and I that she recently has the same procedure done herself.  She shared the dos and don’ts and what to expect, etc. Her first-hand account will no doubt, reduce post-op worries and it will lead to a speedy recovery. We have always had positive experiences at SVMC, but this nurse made this most recent experience so much more special because of the way she connected with us on a personal level. I also very much appreciate her willingness to share her story. SVMC is very fortunate to have nurses like her.”

Rosemary “Ro” Walsh, BSN, RN - Medical Surgical Unit

 “In January, I was hospitalized for 2 weeks prior to and following emergency surgery for a perforated bowel.  This nurse cared for me for several nights during the last and most emotional and physically difficult stage of the hospitalization. I was in pain, scared, angry, and ashamed of my body which I had little control over; in short, I was a mess. I remember feeling relief every time I heard that she would be my nurse, because I knew that I could rely on her to be comforting and supportive and to provide the care I needed.  One thing she did that was so helpful was with my wife, they gave me a bedtime routine that relaxed me and get me ready for to sleep for the night. Also, when I had difficulty with PT activities, she encouraged me by reminding me how far I had come which made me want to continue.  I feel like my description doesn’t do her justice, she was a lighthouse during a storm…A positive guide I could rely on when my life and body felt like a scary disaster.”

Pictured: Left to right: Alexandra Martinez, BSN, RN,  Jaclyn Hoag, BSN, RN,  Megen Niquette, BSN, RN,  Rosemary “Ro” Walsh, BSN, RN.

 

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Cautious Entertaining

After almost 3 months of staying home and with the weather getting nicer, many of us are itching to invite friends over and catch up. While this is a natural inclination, it should be approached with significant caution. COVID-19 is still circulating. If you are planning to host, follow these helpful tips for a safe gathering at your home.

Keep the numbers small. Invite as few people as possible. One-on-one meetings are safer than group gatherings. The recommendations from Vermont Governor Phil Scott recommend 25 or fewer. I would still aim for fewer than 10, especially depending on the size of your entertaining space.

Choose invitees carefully. You should know almost everything about the socializing habits of the people you are inviting. Your guests should be as careful in their social interactions as you are in yours. You should also trust that your guests would be cancel if they were feeling ill, as should you if you are suddenly symptomatic. Those at high risk, due to age or a medical condition, should be very careful about hosting or accepting invitations.

Stay outside. Outdoor air movement disperses aerosolized particles more readily than indoor environments. And plenty of space outside allows guests to stay distanced. UV light, like the rays found in sunshine, may also provide some small benefit. It has been shown to decrease the viability of the virus on objects, but it is not yet clear how intense the light must be and for how long the object needs to be exposed in order to kill the virus.

Keep it short. Duration of exposure to others has been identified as a key risk factor. The longer you are near someone shedding the virus, even if they don't have symptoms, the greater your likelihood of catching it yourself. While it is awkward to say that you are inviting people over for a 10-minute chat in the driveway, this is certainly among the lowest-risk types of socializing.

Clean beforehand. If you expect guests to touch anything, the arms of patio chairs, for instance, wipe them down in advance. Ask everyone to sanitize or wash their hands as they arrive, if they touch their face, and about every hour or so.

Stay distanced and masked. People standing tend to drift. Place chairs 6 feet apart so that people will be more likely to stay apart. Unless you are eating, keep your masks on. Share this expectation in advance, so your guests bring their masks with them.

Limit contact points. If you are preparing food, be sure to wash well before cooking and ensure everyone has a portion of his or her own. Forget about platters of vegetables or bowls of chips everyone shares and even buffets, where people share spoons and tongs.

Clean after. Wipe down anything your guests may have touched after they leave.

Keep track. Be sure to take note of who was there, the date of the social event, and each guest's contact details. If any one of the attendees becomes ill with COVID-19 or learns that they may have been exposed at the time of the event, they will be able to reach out directly to the others and to share information readily with contact tracers.

With these tips, you can host a relatively safe get-together and relieve some of the social isolation of the past several weeks. Do know, however, that no party—regardless of how careful—is risk free. Weigh the risks, decrease those you can, and then, try to have fun.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

 

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