It takes a rare individual to be an ER nurse. Unfortunately, my children are no stranger to VHH ER. On a spring night, my four-year-old started screaming in pain when she tried to potty. Chills ran up me as I have heard that scream before. Unfortunately, due to a condition, she has had several UTI's in the past and her last one she had a horrific experience at another emergency room. I was traumatized so I can only imagine how a four-year-old viewed it. To say she was scared to death was an understatement. I promised her every toy in the world if she would go to the ER and she reluctantly went shaking. The drive to the ED I prayed I would get a nurse who would understand and was gentle. My prayers were answered when Kerri called my daughter's name.
Kerri was kind, sympathetic, and spoke to my daughter, not at her. She asked her to try to potty for a sample, but put it to my daughter in a way that was not scary. Kerri heard the screams from the restroom and came to help us. She understood the pain my daughter was in and did not push her. She calmly did what she could with the sample she was given. During triage, Kerri was so calm and gentle and made my daughter feel like she had choices, which is a great thing to a headstrong four-year-old. Most importantly,she listened and understood. I'm sure she felt our pain for our daughter too and was sympathetic to the entire situation. She clearly went above and beyond her call of duty for us. She stayed on at the end of her shift just to finish up with our daughter so she would not have to have a new nurse. Dedication to a patient like Kerri showed deserves rewarding. I am sure she was exhausted.
I am 110% positive that Kerri shows all of her patients that same dedication. Dedication of that caliber deserves to be rewarded. Just in the short time she took care of us, she made it very clear to us that nursing was not just a job toher, it was her calling. To say that she went an extra mile for my daughter is an understatement. She ran a marathon for my daughter. No one can erase the horrible experience my daughter had at another ED, but Kerri, without knowing it, showed a very frightened four-year-old that not all healthcare professionals are scary. We will forever be grateful to Kerri for all she did for my daughter and us in the short amount of time. There is no one more deserving of this award!