While getting her patient from triage, Jonnie overheard a patient come to the triage desk to sign in, reporting she had hit her arm on a nail walking through a doorway. At a glance, she saw the patients wound and recognized the cut was too straight to be consistent with the story. Jonnie went out of her way to inform me of her suspicions of the patient performing self-harm even though the patient was not hers.
When I saw the patient, I agreed with the assessment but am unsure if I would have picked it up on my own. I spoke with the patient at length and the patient admitted to self-harm due to severe stress and depression. The patient had been doing this for 12 years and no one had ever picked up on it or offered her help. The only person who ever recognized the depression was the patient's mother who died shortly after taking the patient to be seen for the first time at the age of 12. She is now in her 20's and has had no help since.
Jonnie's strong clinical skills and dedication to all patients, not just the ones she is assigned to, may have saved this woman's life. Her depression was obviously worsening, and she had significant stress that was causing this behavior. I am so thankful that Jonnie was on the team that night. We changed that woman's life and she told me that as she tearfully thanked me, but Jonnie was the real hero.