Sally showed care, compassion, and respect to the family of a patient who passed during surgery. In our unit, Sally, a perioperative nurse, is well-known for her exceptional patience and thoughtfulness and her commitment to providing the highest level of care.
Several weeks ago, Sally was walking to her locker which is across from the consultation room used by surgeons to speak to families, when she was approached by several members of a patient's family who were distraught. They thought that Sally was part of the OR Staff caring for their family member and they assumed she was coming to give them an update of how the surgery was going. The family feared something was wrong given the procedure which was scheduled for only 3-4 hours had stretched close to 12 hours.
Sally took the time, despite the fact she was already done with her shift, to listen to the concerns of the family. They were most worried that if he was dying that their Rabbi needed to pray over his body before he passed. To comfort the family, Sally facilitated having the Rabbi stand by the main doors of the OR and pray. She stood beside the Rabbi to ensure that he was able to pray to the patient's body undisturbed. Sally also reached out to the OR staff caring for the patient to assist in having the Rabbi call into the room and place the call on speaker so that he could say his prayers directly to the patient. All of these actions provided great comfort to the family during this trying time. Knowing that their loved one was able to hear the prayers and knowing that he was blessed, gave the family comfort that the patient left this world knowing he would be accepted into the next.
Sally could have easily handed off this overwhelming task of assisting this very upset family, but she did not. Instead, she was remarkably compassionate and gave that family her utmost. She is truly a DAISY Nurse.