March 2024
Brandy
Bentley
,
RN
3 East
McLaren Bay Region
Bay City
,
MI
United States
Communication is such a huge part of caring for patients, and she did so with caring and compassion.
My husband had surgery for prostate cancer and had gone into surgery at 9 am. I had only heard by phone that he was in recovery at 1:30 and was doing fine. I did not see him, nor did I get another update until reception called to tell me his room number. When I got to his room, he was not there yet, and the nurse Brandy indicated he should be there soon. I was upset and emotional about not knowing how the surgery went or what had taken so long. She apologized and was very empathetic to me not knowing or seeing my husband and said she would look into things as soon as he was transferred. She was true to her word. She asked me if I was feeling better after seeing him and was again empathetic to my concern. She was attentive to my husband’s needs and his pain and made sure he knew what his pain medication was and when he could take it. She made sure to ask us if we had questions or concerns and answered them no matter how little they were. She was also my husband’s nurse the next day and we were so grateful as we knew he would be discharged most likely. She gave us a heads up as to how things would go for the day with visits from the NP and followed up with her in the afternoon as the NP would decide the discharge. She educated my husband and me on how to change his bandages, empty his catheter, attach his leg bag as he was discharged with a catheter, and again asked if we had questions or concerns. Communication is such a huge part of caring for patients, and she did so with caring and compassion. She could have chosen to be unapologetic from the beginning as it wasn't her fault that we did not know how surgery went or gotten updates. However, she chose to apologize and turn the situation around by answering questions and showing care and compassion.