Kat Woodruff
October 2024
Kat
Woodruff
,
RN
Trauma Services
JPS Health Network
Fort Worth
,
TX
United States
Kat began visiting this patient and established a rapport. If you know Kat, you would not be surprised to hear that, somehow, she was able to connect with this patient in a way that others had not.
Brianna “Kat” Woodruff is an exceptional nurse, who embodies the JPS Mission, Vision, and Values. In her novel role as a Trauma Nurse Clinician (TNC) in the ICU, she has helped transform and extend expert trauma nursing care across the continuum. Kat serves as a role model for nursing with her commitment to improving the patient and family experience and strives to implement nursing initiatives to improve outcomes for the trauma patient population. Kat has established trusting relationships in the ICU and has extended this trust to many other units by providing mutual respect and fostering teamwork. Her commitment to excellence is paramount and is exhibited by her accountability and integrity.
As the first ICU TNC, Kat has developed and implemented strategies to enhance nursing education, improve the patient and employee experience, and extend expert trauma nursing care beyond the ED. Kat has recently partnered with Trauma and ICU nursing leadership on TBI protocol enhancements, and unit-wide nursing education on management of brain-injured patients. Kat is a wonderful resource to extend trauma nursing education to inpatient nursing units. Kat has received many family and team member accolades highlighting her commitment to the patient experience, as well as positive feedback from nursing colleagues and leaders on how she is impacting nursing team engagement.
Kat rounds daily on the trauma patient population in the ICU, evaluating several clinical and quality indicators. She partners with unit nursing to ensure care standards are met and offers assistance with nursing tasks. She provides education to nursing and is also a great partner in offering family education while rounding. When time allows, Kat extends these services to our patient population residing on telemetry and medical/surgical floors.
Kat has left a significant impression on our team and throughout the organization. In the last month, I know of at least five occasions when multidisciplinary team members have reached out to offer appreciation for the work she is doing and the difference she is making in the lives of patients. Kat is full of knowledge and a passion for nursing. Her compassion for patients and team members is refreshing and uplifting and serves as a model for the network.
Recently, Kat was made aware of a young patient that has been admitted to the trauma service for many months, after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury. This patient was withdrawn, unengaged, and unwilling to accept basic care or work with care teams. This patient had limited visitors and behaviors that inhibited basic engagement with staff. Kat began visiting this patient and established a rapport. If you know Kat, you would not be surprised to hear that, somehow, she was able to connect with this patient in a way that others had not. The patient began communicating with her, and in their conversations, Kat learned that one of the patient’s favorite snacks was Honey Buns. Kat began bringing them to him during her visits, and their connection deepened. Team members were talking (and documenting in the EMR) about how one nurse was able to establish a meaningful connection and that the patient was more cooperative with care and began communicating with his care team again. Kat did not stop there and began encouraging other trauma team members to partner with her to engage this patient. She rallied coworkers and began finding books to bring to the patient to read. He requested mystery/crime novels, and the team was able to gather several and take them to him. Kat continued to foster additional engagement from her team, and they gathered to transfer the patient to a chair, taking him outside for the first time in months. Kat has continued to engage with this patient, and I have heard from so many across the network of how this “trauma nurse” has affected this patient and his experience and recovery. She is certainly worthy of a DAISY Award for the care she provides daily, but what she has accomplished with this patient, in particular, is moving and serves as a model for the true heart of nursing.
As the first ICU TNC, Kat has developed and implemented strategies to enhance nursing education, improve the patient and employee experience, and extend expert trauma nursing care beyond the ED. Kat has recently partnered with Trauma and ICU nursing leadership on TBI protocol enhancements, and unit-wide nursing education on management of brain-injured patients. Kat is a wonderful resource to extend trauma nursing education to inpatient nursing units. Kat has received many family and team member accolades highlighting her commitment to the patient experience, as well as positive feedback from nursing colleagues and leaders on how she is impacting nursing team engagement.
Kat rounds daily on the trauma patient population in the ICU, evaluating several clinical and quality indicators. She partners with unit nursing to ensure care standards are met and offers assistance with nursing tasks. She provides education to nursing and is also a great partner in offering family education while rounding. When time allows, Kat extends these services to our patient population residing on telemetry and medical/surgical floors.
Kat has left a significant impression on our team and throughout the organization. In the last month, I know of at least five occasions when multidisciplinary team members have reached out to offer appreciation for the work she is doing and the difference she is making in the lives of patients. Kat is full of knowledge and a passion for nursing. Her compassion for patients and team members is refreshing and uplifting and serves as a model for the network.
Recently, Kat was made aware of a young patient that has been admitted to the trauma service for many months, after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury. This patient was withdrawn, unengaged, and unwilling to accept basic care or work with care teams. This patient had limited visitors and behaviors that inhibited basic engagement with staff. Kat began visiting this patient and established a rapport. If you know Kat, you would not be surprised to hear that, somehow, she was able to connect with this patient in a way that others had not. The patient began communicating with her, and in their conversations, Kat learned that one of the patient’s favorite snacks was Honey Buns. Kat began bringing them to him during her visits, and their connection deepened. Team members were talking (and documenting in the EMR) about how one nurse was able to establish a meaningful connection and that the patient was more cooperative with care and began communicating with his care team again. Kat did not stop there and began encouraging other trauma team members to partner with her to engage this patient. She rallied coworkers and began finding books to bring to the patient to read. He requested mystery/crime novels, and the team was able to gather several and take them to him. Kat continued to foster additional engagement from her team, and they gathered to transfer the patient to a chair, taking him outside for the first time in months. Kat has continued to engage with this patient, and I have heard from so many across the network of how this “trauma nurse” has affected this patient and his experience and recovery. She is certainly worthy of a DAISY Award for the care she provides daily, but what she has accomplished with this patient, in particular, is moving and serves as a model for the true heart of nursing.