Leilani is a new nurse who has recently completed her nurse residency program on our unit. She cared for a nonresponsive patient with end-stage dementia and an intricate medical history. Due to the patient's mental state and complicated family involvement, decision-making for plan of care has been increasingly complex. There were many ongoing conversations with the patient's husband to meet the patient's needs and reassure them that the priority was to provide the highest quality of care. The patient was eligible for hospice care with palliative, but the family was not seeking this.

One day, Leilani's attention to detail prevented two medication errors on this patient. Leilani received a tube feeding for the patient, but it was not the same formula as ordered by the provider. She called to verify and was told that the new formula was equivalent to order. Despite this, Leilani still felt something was off. Dietary then came to the room and reviewed the tube feeding formula. Dietary confirmed that it was not the correct equivalency, and they were so glad Leilani did not administer the tube feeding.

In addition, Leilani noticed an expired antibiotic ordered for the patient. Upon discovery, she called pharmacy to alert them of the error in dispensed medication. Pharmacy then requested to check all of the antibiotics in the pyxis for that bin. I also personally witnessed just how Leilani cared for this patient. Leilani entered the patient's room and was going to administer medication. Although the patient is non-responsive, Leilani took the time to hold her hand and explain what she was going to do for the entire treatment. She did not simply say, "I am going to administer medication," but thoroughly explained what the medication was and how it was going to be administered through the tube feeding.

During the same shift, Leilani noticed the patient's private caregiver was vaping in the room. Not only did Leilani alert leadership, but she also went with leadership to address this concern. Leilani personally emphasized to the private caregiver that smoking was against hospital policy and posed a significant safety hazard to her patient. All of the examples above show that Leilani embodies WakeMed's Nursing Professional Practice Model. She demonstrated compassion, advocacy, excellent partnership with others, excellence, and, most of all, prioritized the safety of her patient. Despite the demands and the complexity of care, Leilani prioritized compassion and loving care to her patient. She was vigilant in ensuring her patient was safe and immediately addressed all issues affecting her patient.