Chantal Branco
January 2017
Chantal
Branco
,
RN
ICU
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Allentown
,
PA
United States
During the first days of my orientation in the critical care internship, Chantal demonstrated expert nursing behaviors, and compassionate care. In particular, there was a patient whose husband brought her to the ER when she became unresponsive after a period of not feeling well for over a week. This patient was transferred to our unit, and was placed on a ventilator. The patient had two daughters, one of whom was pregnant. They had to cancel a gender-reveal party as a result of the patient's illness. Of course, this was a very emotional time for this close-knit family.
During the patient's stay, her lung function was not improving. Chantal reviewed interventions with the physicians and discussed with the family the plan of care and what to anticipate in terms of tubes, machines, and what the patient would look like when she came out of the OR to be cannulated for ECMO. Chantal was proactive in this patient's care, and in what direction medical interventions should go. She often relayed to the family what current research trends were shown to improve patient outcomes. I witnessed this family become very tearful prior to the patient going to the OR, but they were calm and courageous when the patient returned to the room because they knew what to expect.
During this time, Chantal encouraged the family to take care of themselves because their wife and mother would need their help later. She assured them that she would take good care of their loved one now. The high level of trust this family had in Chantal's care of their loved one was palpable. However, her attention to detail did not stop with her nursing interventions and care. Chantal also took the time to update the patient's nail polish because it was obvious that this was important to the patient. The family was appreciative of the gesture of normalcy.
As an orientee, I feel truly blessed to have Chantal as a preceptor. She is an excellent role model and resource for the novice ICU nurse, and a compassionate coordinator of care for both patients and their families. I believe that Chantal is deserving of The DAISY award not just due to the scenario above, but because this high level of care is what she affords all the patients in her care.
During the patient's stay, her lung function was not improving. Chantal reviewed interventions with the physicians and discussed with the family the plan of care and what to anticipate in terms of tubes, machines, and what the patient would look like when she came out of the OR to be cannulated for ECMO. Chantal was proactive in this patient's care, and in what direction medical interventions should go. She often relayed to the family what current research trends were shown to improve patient outcomes. I witnessed this family become very tearful prior to the patient going to the OR, but they were calm and courageous when the patient returned to the room because they knew what to expect.
During this time, Chantal encouraged the family to take care of themselves because their wife and mother would need their help later. She assured them that she would take good care of their loved one now. The high level of trust this family had in Chantal's care of their loved one was palpable. However, her attention to detail did not stop with her nursing interventions and care. Chantal also took the time to update the patient's nail polish because it was obvious that this was important to the patient. The family was appreciative of the gesture of normalcy.
As an orientee, I feel truly blessed to have Chantal as a preceptor. She is an excellent role model and resource for the novice ICU nurse, and a compassionate coordinator of care for both patients and their families. I believe that Chantal is deserving of The DAISY award not just due to the scenario above, but because this high level of care is what she affords all the patients in her care.