During my time serving in SICU as a staff nurse, I have been impressed by Guy's compassion and delivery of care to his patients and their families. The OR has increased its number of cases over the years and this has translated into the PACU being much busier. Despite the unit having a high turnover of patients, Guy is always awesome to receive report from when he is transitioning a patient from PACU to SICU. His bedside reports are always to the point and spot on. Nothing ever slips past him while turning a patient over for care in SICU.
Guy ensures that every line and drain is observed by both nurses and he reviews exactly what the patient had done, the medication and fluids received in the operating room and the PACU, and if there were any nursing issues with regard to care of the patient in the PACU. All of this is vital to the safe care of our Veterans as nursing hand over of patients is a time when small things can be missed and cause significant problems later on down the road. But, not on his watch!
Even more importantly, Guy ALWAYS thanks the Veteran patients for their service with a hand shake, a smile, and the words "thank you for your service". This is what happens when a VA nurse serves a career in the United States Navy! In my mind, he sets the bar pretty high for nurses throughout the facility. On numerous occasions, he has willingly helped remove extra linens from beneath a patient as an effort to make the patient more comfortable, while recognizing that it may also reduce the incidence of hospital acquired pressure ulcers. He seems to do this even when he has communicated to me that the PACU is busy, but he simply makes time for sound nursing care at the bedside when it counts.
Inevitably, he asks if it is OK with the beside nurse in SICU if he pops out to the waiting room and updates the family, but he always departs SICU with an estimated time that the Veteran's family will be able to see the patient for the first time. Everyday his care exceeds expectations.