During this hospital stay, C was fortunate to have had Stephanie for all four days as his day nurse. The continuity of care alone was a huge benefit. From the beginning of the stay, Stephanie made sure that we knew what was happening, what to expect, when we could expect to see her again, and that she was available no matter what the concern. She never made us feel we were bothering her. She also made it possible for C to be as independent as possible in his situation, and explained why things were the way they were.
As a vegetarian like C, she made sure C's meals were suitable, and always inquired as to how he liked them, and if there was anything she could do to help. Stephanie is an excellent communicator. This helped relieve our anxiety and feel a bit more in control where this was possible.
When Stephanie gave C his discharge instructions, she made a comprehensive chart of times and doses to get him started, as his meds are very complex. We got all our questions answered, and she gave us her department phone number to call if we still had questions. Stephanie gave us a lot of helpful information which we really appreciated. Stephanie is obviously a people-person- smiling, funny, personable, and truly caring about the patient's comfort.
For example, she told us that it is up to individual nurses how they choose to schedule their overnight visits, and she plans hers so that patients get as much continuous sleep as possible. Before she left her shift on C's first day, Stephanie carefully set up C's first Sodalol dose so that he would have his follow-up EKG before bedtime. But this did not happen after Stephanie left, because all his meds were misplaced for hours. He got his first dose on his first day there around midnight. Luckily, C had taken his other meds, which he had with him, hours before. The next morning, Stephanie was upset, and we appreciated her making it obvious that this was unacceptable. Stephanie has high standards, and had a plan for C's optimum care which was not followed through. Stephanie's reaction to this situation was helpful because it made us feel we could trust that things would be done right going forward. Stephanie readjusted C's dosing schedule so that the evening EKG would be at 11:00 p.m.
We felt very secure in Stephanie's care. The little details of comfort Stephanie offered- the ice water, comb, and ice tea from scratch, and the bedding for me to stay overnight and the offer to figure out a shower for C; these made a difference too.