Few nurses radiate the wholehearted goodness like that of Trish Handrich. Trish is an exceptional nurse, patient mentor, prophetic educator, and radiant human being. Trish serves as an excellent staff RN on 5NW Oncology. She has been there for over four years and currently serves most often as a Resource RN that works both day and night shift, aiding other floor RNs and acting as a knowledge base and pillar for other staff to utilize and consult. Trish has a wide knowledge base covering the entirety of skills we see on our floor, most notably chemo, as well as central line integrity, epidurals, PCAs, etc. She is often consulted for her skills at port access, rivaling IVT in skill, wound dressing change, and vesicant chemo administration.
Compassion is the art of meeting another in a foreign entropy. Trish goes beyond merely meeting another on their level, but strives to elevate and alleviate grief all around her. She is the nurse who takes time out of each day to spend at least 5 minutes with each patient, sitting at their bedside to understand their needs and goals of care. She is the nurse who takes the extra hour to shampoo and comb a patient's hair after an arduous lice treatment; and she is the nurse who makes sure an elderly couple knows how to empty and change their Foley bag, when they call frantically the next day after being discharged, no matter how long it takes. Trish is an honored and appreciated co-worker.
During the winter of '16, more than any others, she would volunteer to come in extra. We appreciated her sacrifice so much as she would often come in multiple days in a row, in the morning, to help with the most difficult medication and patient care times, despite having a full schedule herself. One instance comes to mind when we had a patient who unfortunately was approaching end-of-life. They had no family or friends at bedside so we implemented "no one dies alone" and guess who was on, Trish. Dedicating her extra time to such an amazing gesture of compassion. She stood by the patient's side, comforting them on her own time as they passed. It shows the extent of service and dedication that Trish possesses. I am amazed at her every day and am honored to be able to work with someone that makes me want to be better.
Trish is a validated preceptor on our unit as well as a chemotherapy and port access/de-access validator. Trish has by far the most grace of any nurse on our unit, not only to patients but to co-workers as well. I remember a time when I was distraught at a mistake I had made and she took the time to sit with me and let me recount my concerns, validating me at the same time as providing wisdom in how to proceed in the future and circumvent other mistakes. Trish never judges, condescends, or speaks to another in a pejorative manner, but is kind, instructive and graceful in every communication. She was pivotal in bringing about our allocation and approval of a resource nurse, doing much of the empirical research and justification to bring our unit much-needed assistance. She keeps up to date on CNEs and is an Oncology Certified Nurse, often taking part in oncology-related conferences and lectures. She constantly sends out invites and dates of upcoming conferences and discussions, keeping all of our staff up-to-date on educational resources. Ultimately, it is neither the exuberant nature nor vast intelligence, the profound patience nor unyielding compassion, that designates Trish as a truly exceptional nurse and co-worker. Whereas others may work quicker, speak up more often, or engage in activities widely recognized and celebrated, Trish holds a different worth. Rather than crashing against the rocks, trying to make a noticeable impact, Trish represents the undertow, providing constant guidance and power, transforming bedside care and nursing excellence through subliminal leadership and often unperceived empathy. Despite all these qualities, what really designates Trish as an exceptional RN and worthy of the DAISY Award is her profound ability to catalyze each and every person to be more like her. When it comes to clinical skills, Trish is absolutely an expert in oncology. She is certified in chemotherapy administration, is an Oncology Certified Nurse through ANCC, acts as a preceptor to both new graduate nurses and nursing students, and teaches the Oncology Residency Class to nurses who are new to oncology. As a resource nurse on our unit, she frequently visits other units to administer chemotherapy and always takes the time to educate the patients about their chemotherapy as well as the nurses about chemotherapy precautions and any monitoring that needs to happen for the patient. Both CNAs and RNs on our unit always feel comfortable asking Trish for advice as she is such an expert and a wealth of knowledge. Trish not only gives of herself to her patients but also her coworkers. Trish is always willing to lend a shoulder or an ear. She consistently checks on her coworkers to make sure they are getting their breaks and lunches and to see if she can be any help.
Personally, Trish has been a huge support to me. A little over a year ago, I cared for a patient who coded and died. I was very emotionally disturbed by the situation and no matter how many times I needed to talk it through, Trish was always willing to support me and assure me that I had done all that I could for the patient. Having someone like Trish to help work through the emotional aspects of this very emotionally trying job is so crucial to our profession. One of many exceptional experiences that really stands out to me and illustrates Trish's dedication and compassion is an event that happened this past winter. I was the charge nurse for the day when I received a phone call from a distraught wife of a patient. The patient had discharged home earlier in the day. In talking with the wife, it seemed as if the patient had been discharged post prostatectomy with a Foley catheter. The wife stated that the bag was leaking and she didn't know what to do. After attempting to problem solve over the phone to no avail, I recommended the wife or a family member come back and pick up a new Foley bag to replace the one that was leaking. Trish overheard the conversation and whispered to me to put the wife on hold. After she was placed on hold, Trish told me she was the primary nurse who had discharged the patient. She told me she wanted to talk with the wife as she had established a very good rapport with both the patient and wife. She knew that it would be very difficult for the wife to come back to the hospital to pick up the new Foley bag because of her advanced age and limited mobility. She also knew that the patient did not have family who could help. After attempting to problem solve with the wife again to no avail, Trish offered to take the Foley bag to the patient after work. After working a full 12-hour shift and having to be back in the morning, Trish took the Foley bag to the patient's home and spent over an hour reeducating the patient and wife and offering emotional support and reassurance. This story is just one of many examples of the essence of Trish's compassion and dedication to ensuring her patients are well cared for. She is one of the most dedicated nurses I have had the pleasure of knowing.
Trish attends many continuing education events. She attended Oncology Nursing Society Annual Congress two years ago in San Antonio and a palliative care conference in San Diego last year. She was instrumental in the development of the Oncology Residency Program on the inpatient oncology unit for which she also is an instructor. Trish was also the key driving force behind the resource nurse position on our unit and wrote the magnet exemplar for that.