Kemitra Hawkins has been caring for my patient on 4 East. My patient is well advanced in years and has had a somewhat prolonged hospital course from Phoebe Main to rehab and ultimately was discharged from rehab and sent to the medical floor here at north because he just wasn't doing well. His combined stay between all three sites at Phoebe has been well over 18 days and at this point, he is beginning to have hospital associated delirium.
To top it all off, my patient has two daughters that are very involved with his care as strong advocates. We have all had a similar case like this, where a very involved family means well but may inadvertently increase the stress level of the healthcare team (particularly the nursing staff) caring for their loved one. At one point, in an effort to try and help their father's debility (despite the lack of physical therapy on the weekend) one daughter was actively transferring the patient from the bed to the chair and vice versa without nursing aid (despite protest from nursing staff). I must say that throughout the time that I've been involved with this patient's care Kemitra Hawkins has done a superb job!
She not only has cared for the patient, but she has gone above and beyond in providing the extra attention that a situation such as this requires. Kemitra repeatedly advocated for the patient's safety, and she recognized that in some ways the daughters were "hovering" only because they loved their father and were distressed to see him so weak. Later today the patient did become hypotensive. Kemitra immediately alerted me, and calmly implemented all of my stat orders. I arrived within minutes to find my orders already implemented, and when I made the decision to move the patient, it seemed like no more than seconds before Kemitra had the patient in the ICU. Strong work Kemitra, Strong work!