November 2024
Arielle N
Black
,
BSN, RN
Emergency Department
Meritus Medical Center
Hagerstown
,
MD
United States
She made me feel heard. She allowed me to cry from fear, frustration, and exhaustion without judgment. She made me smile through my tears but most of all I felt she truly cared.
I need to paint a picture first. I am an RN (40 years). I've worked in multiple places including the ER, a very long time ago. I've been fortunate not to have to be on the other side of health care until last January when my husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, so I've been thrown headfirst into navigating the system and this horrible disease. It's been very stressful. We try to avoid the emergency room because I know they are so abused with the people that go after having a problem for two weeks or go with things that should be at an urgent care. So, believe me, I work hard to identify and solve the problem through oncology and the PCP whenever able.
On this day, we weren't able to treat outside of the ER, so we went in. We ended up way in the back and met a true angel. Arielle came in and asked questions and listened to our answers and concerns, well, mine because my husband had an altered mental status that we were trying to solve. She made me feel heard. She allowed me to cry from fear, frustration, and exhaustion without judgment. She made me smile through my tears but most of all I felt she truly cared. She took every question to the doctor, who I know was a tad irritated with me, but Arielle brought the answer back, good or bad. I honestly thought she had been there 5 years at least, so when I walked with her to push my husband up to his room and asked how long she had been there, I was very surprised it was only 6 months.
It's been a long journey, not a fun one, and not too many people have impacted the journey in a good way. I will forever remember her kindness and attentiveness. Above all, she was excellent at communication, what was going on, whey there may be a delay, how long to expect. That truly goes a long way when you know what to expect, you don't get unreasonable expectations, and you don't get as anxious or as short-tempered. Being a longtime nurse, I try my best to understand and give grace to staff because their job is HARD every day. If I have learned anything from this journey is that the caregiver knows-they know what is different, what has worked in the past and what doesn't, and she listened to all of it. I would never say I know more than someone caring for my husband in an emergent situation but I do know him. I'm well aware that bedside nursng is very different than it was 25 years ago. I applaud beside nurses but you don't find them all with the qualities that Arielle demonstrated. Arielle went above and beyond in giving great care, explaining, and making us feel heard and cared about. She is an asset to your team and I wish her well.
On this day, we weren't able to treat outside of the ER, so we went in. We ended up way in the back and met a true angel. Arielle came in and asked questions and listened to our answers and concerns, well, mine because my husband had an altered mental status that we were trying to solve. She made me feel heard. She allowed me to cry from fear, frustration, and exhaustion without judgment. She made me smile through my tears but most of all I felt she truly cared. She took every question to the doctor, who I know was a tad irritated with me, but Arielle brought the answer back, good or bad. I honestly thought she had been there 5 years at least, so when I walked with her to push my husband up to his room and asked how long she had been there, I was very surprised it was only 6 months.
It's been a long journey, not a fun one, and not too many people have impacted the journey in a good way. I will forever remember her kindness and attentiveness. Above all, she was excellent at communication, what was going on, whey there may be a delay, how long to expect. That truly goes a long way when you know what to expect, you don't get unreasonable expectations, and you don't get as anxious or as short-tempered. Being a longtime nurse, I try my best to understand and give grace to staff because their job is HARD every day. If I have learned anything from this journey is that the caregiver knows-they know what is different, what has worked in the past and what doesn't, and she listened to all of it. I would never say I know more than someone caring for my husband in an emergent situation but I do know him. I'm well aware that bedside nursng is very different than it was 25 years ago. I applaud beside nurses but you don't find them all with the qualities that Arielle demonstrated. Arielle went above and beyond in giving great care, explaining, and making us feel heard and cared about. She is an asset to your team and I wish her well.