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Patients often tell us that remarkable care is what sets a healthcare institution apart. Here’s a snapshot of some of the people at our hospital who are providing phenomenal comfort and care to our patients, especially when they need it the most. Above, President John Sullivan presented the President's Award to two nurses, Maite Corbin and Sarah McLaughlin, for remarkable care and compassion to their patient and the patient’s family.
(Pictured: 2H Nursing Director Maraki Endale, 2H Medical Director Dr. Brian Lee, President John Sullivan, recipient Maite Corbin, recipient Sarah McLaughlin, Chief Nursing Executive Sue Eckert, and 2H nurse Jessica Patterson)
Recognition from Peers
This President’s Award nomination was submitted by Jessica Patterson, RN, BSN, CCRN, 2H Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, on behalf of her nurse colleagues Maite Corbin and Sarah McLaughlin for their exemplary display of our SPIRIT Values – Service, Patient First, Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Teamwork
Dear President Sullivan,
It is not often that I truly feel the need to recognize outstanding nursing care, but this past weekend I experienced just that. I myself am a Clinical Nurse II at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and work on 2H, the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit. Recently, our unit received a patient with a devastating diagnosis. A teen girl, walking home from work, was struck by a motor vehicle and brought to MWHC for treatment. Although she underwent extensive surgery, by the time she arrived to our unit, her prognosis was very poor. However, the outstanding team of physicians I work with on both the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Neurosurgical teams promised her family that they would do everything within their power to medically manage her and give her the best chance possible. To add to the family’s grief, the patient is currently here on a student visa and her mother still resides in El Salvador.
Despite our best efforts, by two weeks after the accident, no significant improvement in her brain functionality had been made. Originally, her mother’s application for a visa to the United States had been denied. This is where the amazing group of nurses I work with come in. Sarah McLaughlin's advocacy for this patient and her mother played a key role in assisting this parent to have the opportunity to see her child while she was still alive. I was the nurse caring for this patient the night her mother arrived. I should also mention that the patient’s mother and many of her family members are Spanish-speaking only. This was her mother’s first time in the United States.
The next night, prior to the day we were going to withdraw care of the patient, I cared for the young girl again and her mother had not left the hospital. My other coworker and nurse, Maite Corbin, is fluent in Spanish. She suggested a plan of care to me that I had not even thought of which was to ask the mother if she would like to assist in bathing the patient in what would likely be the last time. This was such a personal process that while a translator phone was available, Maite offered to help me and the mother bathe the patient so that the mother would feel comfortable and could easily receive instructions and guidance during the process in her native language from Maite. During the bath, the mother was able to kiss, touch, and be with her child during these final hours. When we were done bathing the patient Maite pulled the side rail of the bed down and pulled a chair next to the patient’s bed to allow the patient and her mother to be as close as possible together. She then proceeded to ask the mother questions about the patient-her hobbies, interests, school performance. The mother was then able to both talk about her daughter, expressing how she always wished for a better life for her in the United States. This also gave her the opportunity to grieve. By time the night was over, all three of us were in tears. The next day, Sarah assumed care for the patient.
Both of these nurses continue to work at the bedside while attending graduate school and being full-time moms themselves. I cannot express enough the gratitude I have to be working with such incredible women. They are advocates for their patients, their patient’s families, and their fellow nurses. They continuously provide the type of courageous and compassionate care I have described in this letter on a daily basis. I am blessed to have the privilege of calling them my coworkers and they deserve to be recognized for the type of care they provided.
Making a Difference
Congratulations, Maite Corbin and Sarah McLaughlin, for being recognized for the outstanding work you do and embodying the guiding principles for patient care we uphold at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. It is an honor to work with people as deserving of the President’s Award as you both.
Know someone going above and beyond?
This is just one of the wonderful stories of our associates who are providing exemplary care to our patients. Do you have others to share? Email them to MWHC_Internal_Communications@MedStar.net.
