Elena is by-the-book, extremely knowledgeable, wonderfully kind and compassionate, very down to earth and just who you would want in your corner when things don't go right. She is a big supporter of patients and families being fully informed and educated about their disease process and plan of care. There isn't a brochure, educational pamphlet or health matters info sheet that she doesn't like; especially when arming her patients with knowledge.
This was particularly obvious when Elena was getting ready to discharge a patient home. Elena does dozens of discharges a week and knows how important it is to give clear instructions before going home. For this particular patient, it proved a challenge as she was elderly and mildly confused at baseline. Unfortunately, her family member wasn't able to come to the hospital to pick her up; she lived close by and was going to take a cab home.
After thinking through the options to ensure a safe discharge, Elena decided to call her patient's son at his work and reviewed the entirety of the discharge instructions, plan for follow up and post-op signs and symptoms over the phone. This easily took about 15-20minutes.
It was a source of pride for me to watch Elena being thorough, caring and professional. Elena represents the best of nursing!