I want to share this because it is an awesome example of the provision of nursing beyond normal expectations. Rebecca Stephens is a Telehealth Nurse for Physicians and Community Health Access. One holiday evening, she received a call from a patient who had questions related to pre-medications for a CT scan scheduled for two days later. I was here that night and was listening to her calls. The patient was confused about how to take her meds, and when to take them. She verbalized that she had difficulty with her vision and walking. Her conversation also raised questions about her level of literacy and her ability to recall information.
Rebecca spent almost fifty minutes going over how, and when, the patient should take her two premeds. They were prescribed so that she would take them the different times in a twelve hour period. Becky was kind, compassionate, engaged, and invested in making sure that the patient knew exactly what she needed to do, but she didn't stop there. I received a text from Becky this morning. She asked if I could call pre-operative assessment, and radiology, to make sure that the patient had taken her last dose of medications. I called Becky and asked how she knew the patient had taken any of them? The answer made me glad to be part of Physician and Community Health Access and proved that my new waterproof mascara really does work. Becky was off the next several days, but she took the patient's number and called her at 11:30 pm last night and 5:30 am this morning to remind her to take her medications. How incredible is that? She didn't have to do that. She could have considered her Telehealth role as completed when she hung up the phone that holiday evening, but she chose to go over and beyond expectations. I couldn't let this opportunity pass without recognizing her.
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Note: This is Rebecca's Second DAISY Award!