Katie has taken on the role of our department's Diabetes Champion. She takes her role very seriously and is frequently called upon with questions because of her skill set and knowledge base.
In one particular instance, Katie was called on at 1800 to see if she could assist with educating a patient. This admission was newly diagnosed with diabetes and was to be discharged that night. The patient had only been in the hospital for 1 day and had not been seen by a diabetic educator, and had limited teaching from staff due to his short stay. The physician saw the patient at 1700 and notified him and the staff that the patient could discharge after some teaching by the staff. Despite staff explaining concerns that the patient would perhaps benefit from one more night in the hospital to allow for further teaching, the physician felt the patient was safe to discharge. The discharging RN assigned to the patient had floated to our unit at 1600 from ICU and although she was fully competent, she was not fully familiar with all the teaching that needed to be addressed along with the discharge. Despite having her own patient group to care for, Katie was called upon. Without question, Katie offered to teach the patient everything from self-injections to diet modifications. She stayed an hour and a half past her shift to make sure the patient was comfortable and safe. She verified that he had all the supplies he would need including medications from his local pharmacy. When Katie was asked if she could assist, we assured her that we had gathered the appropriate tools and materials and that we could do our best, but she knew that her knowledge and skill set was better than what we could offer.
Katie said, "I want to do what is best for the patient." Katie sat with the patient and family giving them her undivided attention. She answered all of their questions, never making them feel rushed or hurried despite her additional tasks to attend to or the time of day. Katie spent over 2 hours educating a patient who was assigned to the care of another. She went above and beyond. There was no hesitation in her voice when asked if she could lend a hand, even though as many of us know, the end of the shift can be the busiest. Katie continues to live her role as a Diabetes Champion on a daily basis on our unit. She never hesitates to provide support and answer questions to better the care for our patients.