It's hard to start this DAISY Award nomination. I've been staring at a blank page for 15 minutes, my mind rolling with scenarios from year after year, shift after shift, of exemplary, enviable service that is Pat Jackman. There are literally hundreds of examples of how Pat displays stellar and enviable clinical skills which she readily and skillfully shares with other nurses while deftly applying her clinical talents to ensure the most positive patient outcomes.
Compassionate care- every single shift, every single patient and family, every time. Compassion, true empathy and patience with patients that most of us would think "difficult." Pat doesn't just reserve her compassion for patients and families but is one of the warmest and most compassionate humans I know. Compassion is honestly one of her innate personality traits. Pat's dedication to her career, her patients, their families, and her peers is the definition of exemplary service and she truly displays it every day by applying it at the bedside, teaching and mentoring continuously for 30 years at Salem Health.
Pat's commitment to excellence isn't just a one-woman show, it's not just the stellar care she provides her patients. Her commitment to excellence is on a much bigger scale. Pat has been unofficially designated as a liaison between the hospital's neurosurgeons and ICU clinical staff. Pat has worked closely with our neurosurgeons to develop and implement clinical policies and procedures that are practiced in our hospital daily. Not only has she developed clinical policies that are practiced daily, but she also teaches these skills to her peers on the unit. If Pat isn't working and there's a neuro question on the unit, she's happy to take a phone call and answer our question! By teaching and mentoring other critical care nurses routinely, Pat's commitment to excellence is evident in the clinical excellence of other nurses in our ICU. So really, it's a cascading effect of excellence, Pat's lasting legacy.
Now, on to the specific, current event. It's not just another excellent patient care experience that has been the nexus of this nomination. There is another factor that ripped the iPhone out of my hand and got me up off the couch and got me working on this, Dr. M. Yup, Dr. M. The event I'm going to talk about involved Dr. M and he was very moved by Pat's actions. So moved he and I decided jointly that this award nomination was unavoidable and had to be done. Recently in the ICU, Pat was the primary day shift RN for a critically ill man. The patient was admitted to the ICU after having experienced a known, but uncommon, life-threatening complication to a procedure performed at the hospital. This man was very loved by his wife and sister who both spent every moment at their loved one's bedside. The women were intelligent, strong and cohesive. They clearly knew what the patient's wishes were and wanted to ensure his wishes were honored. They also were somewhat unsure and mistrusting after the patient experienced this critical complication from his procedure. Pat recognized that while her daily shift in the ICU may be routine for her, it is far from routine and the worst of days for these women who deeply love this man lying in the bed fighting for his life. For this and many other reasons, these family members deeply bonded and trusted Pat to help guide them through this crisis. The twist that makes this situation complicated and unique is that initially, the family's wishes did not coincide with what the ICU physician (Dr. M) thought was medically appropriate. While delivering excellent critical care, at a very critical time in this patient's stay, when extremely difficult care decisions needed to be made, Pat kept all informed and calm; family, patient, and physicians so that complex decisions could be made cohesively. Pat used her vast experience, patience, and expertise to bring the patient, the family and the physician to a common ground and a consensus plan of care. Pat addressed all player's needs while keeping the patient's best interest in focus and keenly paid attention to the patient and family's fears, addressing each and every poignant and passionate high and challenging low with professional maturity and deep wisdom. Because of the significant professional trust, Pat has earned with physicians over her 30 years and because the family and patient had confidence in Pat, she was able to bring the healthcare team together to ensure that this patient received coordinated communication and a positive outcome. At times, being a critical care nurse is difficult, but Pat possesses the ability to acutely assess subtle changes in her patient's condition and to swiftly act on those changes to deliver high-level interventions. This may seem like enough but to simultaneously address the patient and family's ongoing questions and concerns are solely due to the fact that Pat has been at the bedside for 30 years. This situation was unique and difficult on its own…high stakes, fear, mistrust and strong personalities on both sides, yet Pat did not back down. Pat was able to effectively facilitate communication with family, patient, and physicians while reassuring the patient and family they were safe and well cared for during their stay. Trust me, this was not an easy task! Pat did what many of us couldn't have done.
I'll close this nomination with some words gleaned directly from the patient's sister in an email she sent to Pat. (Pat gave the patient's sister and wife her personal phone number and email to support them when she wasn't at work! Pat recognized that this family was unsure and mistrusting of the healthcare team but deeply trusted her, so she readily made herself available to the family.) "C and I both feel like you are the main reason J is still with us! Pat, thank you so very much for just stink'n caring! God bless you, Ms. Patricia. If you hadn't been paying attention as you did, and insisting J's wellbeing came first, we'd be attending his service rather than his bedside. Love and thanks, S."
Pat understands people. She comprehends the intricate fabric of the multidisciplinary medical team and senses their needs and concerns. At the same time, Pat, with empathy, assists the patient and family navigate an unfamiliar world called the ICU. Her unmatched commitment and example at the bedside are an irreplaceable resource to Salem Health and its patient of the highest level. Pat's unmatched commitment and example at the bedside are incredible assets to Salem Health and the community we serve. The DAISY Award was created for "Extraordinary Nurses" and Pat Jackman is EXTRA extraordinary. Dr. M and I, and even the patient's family via their email, have tried to express that here. It's difficult to imagine a human as wonderful as Pat not being celebrated. We too easily take stellar, quiet warriors like Pat for granted.