Lisa Bernstein exemplifies the ICARE (Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, and Respect) values on a daily routine. When watching her interact with the Veterans, she has compassion and the highest respect for them. Lisa has the interest of the Veterans in mind at all times. She will bring ideas for improving care to the nurse manager and Unit Based Council that she serves on. She exemplifies nursing with the highest of professional standards while caring for the Veterans and their families. On different occasions, Lisa has found safety issues with Veterans and proceeded to make the necessary corrections and educate both the Veterans and team members of possible consequences or outcomes. Lisa will ask questions when she is unsure of her actions, always willing to admit her faults and correct them without hesitation, and values constructive criticism as a chance to learn and advance skills.
Specific examples: Lisa found a Veteran in an unsafe situation. She provided education to the Veteran and other staff regarding this situation. When she found this situation had occurred again, she utilized her chain of command to address the issue.
Lisa has spent endless amounts of time with dying Veterans to ensure they are not dying alone, especially in this time of COVID-19 restrictions. She has discovered the start of skin breakdown on a Veteran who had been refusing to have protective cream placed. Lisa took the opportunity to educate the Veteran on the need and the process of how [skin] breakdown works, resulting in the Veteran allowing the protective cream to be placed.
Lisa has seen the need with certain Veterans with increased problems of skin breakdown due to spinal cord injury (SCI), she took it upon herself to research products and find solutions to assist with the skin breakdown, the transferring of the Veteran, and products to aid in bed mobility for those Veterans. After researching products, Lisa forwarded the information to the nurse manager and the Unit Based Council (UBC) chair for possibilities of implementing changes on the unit level.
Lisa has been observed sitting with Veterans, playing music for them, singing gospel songs with them, or simply giving a gentle and compassionate hand, or a tender "we love you" to those needing it most. Lisa goes above and beyond to make sure these Veterans know they are cared for with the utmost professional standards and compassion, above all.