3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
My Turn
Angela Ross, RN, BSN, CEN
O
oooh! I can't
believe it's
over. Am I
done? Why can't I feel
my leg? Where is my
husband? It hurts!
Somebody, please! My
fifth patient of the day
just rolled into PACU
Bay 6. I glance at the
clock and realize it's
only 10 a.m. Another
busy Monday. I lean
forward to introduce
myself as her nurse
and she's crying ...
already she's crying.
Thinking to myself
about how heavy this
patient will be and
how high her needs
are within the first 20
seconds of exposure. How in the world am I going to get through this?
Her name was Susan. She was at Atrium Health-Mercy in July for a
knee replacement. She's 48 years old. After a brief introduction, dur-
ing which I tell all my patients that my name is Angela and I'm here to
help, she continues to cry. I quickly finish getting a report from the
Blessed to Let Go Together
My patient and I leave our grief over losing a loved one in PACU Bay 6.
• PATIENT-CENTERED CARE It's easy to lose sight that patients are people, says
Angela Ross, RN, BSN, CEN.
Atrium
Health-Mercy
in
Charlotte,
N.C.
