Vanessa Rodriguez
June 2021
Vanessa
Rodriguez
,
RN, BSN
Adult General Medicine
University of Chicago Medicine
Chicago
,
IL
United States
In the aftermath of my surgery, it was a relief to have Vanessa assigned to care for me today.
I felt extremely lucky to be cared for by Vanessa during my recent hospitalization. In every interaction I had with her, Vanessa went above and beyond the call of duty to make me comfortable and feel supported. One instance that stands out to me is the night I found out I wasn’t being discharged and I was instead facing a Y in the road: surgery or permanent parenteral nutrition. Vanessa was the first person to sit down with me and ask how I was feeling about each decision. It was such a simple act but made me feel so supported and seen. She answered questions I had about each option and alleviated my fears surrounding the choice. I am so grateful that she took the time to sit with me and work through these decisions with me which helped to combat the isolation and alienation being an inpatient can cause, especially when facing challenging medical decisions.
In the aftermath of my surgery, it was a relief to have Vanessa assigned to care for me today. She helped brainstorm ways to alleviate my pain, improvising with some heated blankets to create a makeshift heated and weighted compress for my surgical site to help with the localized pain. Her attentiveness to the details such as with pain control or when changing my PICC dressing always reassured me that I was receiving the best care possible while inpatient and I will be forever grateful for the care she provided me during this time.
In the aftermath of my surgery, it was a relief to have Vanessa assigned to care for me today. She helped brainstorm ways to alleviate my pain, improvising with some heated blankets to create a makeshift heated and weighted compress for my surgical site to help with the localized pain. Her attentiveness to the details such as with pain control or when changing my PICC dressing always reassured me that I was receiving the best care possible while inpatient and I will be forever grateful for the care she provided me during this time.