April 2021
Kathy
Counter
,
RN
Pain Management
The University of Vermont Medical Center
Burlington
,
VT
United States
When the patient no-showed that appointment she reached out due to a "nagging feeling" that something was off.
Kathy is our primary triage RN and I hear her conversations daily dealing with patients with pain. Some patients are frustrated and upset or just need somebody to talk to. Kathy's manner with them on the phone goes above and beyond. Additionally, she is so educated about the procedures that we do every call ends with a patient having a better understanding of their plan of care. Kathy noticed that an elderly patient she had been able to reach easily by phone suddenly was not answering. She noticed that the patient had an appointment with her PCP and when the patient no-showed that appointment she reached out due to a "nagging feeling" that something was off. The PCP arranged for a welfare check and the patient was found unconscious in her home. As a nurse, to me, this is the essence of nursing. Listening to that gut voice that tells you something is off, ensuring that the patient is safe, and taking all the appropriate steps to make sure a solid plan is in place for your patient. We all think she is amazing at Interventional Pain and we don't know what we or our patients would do without her.