Congratulations to Georgina Damoah, one of the patient care associates serving 9 East Rhodes, for being nominated and selected as one of this quarter's BUCK-I Award winners!
The Bringing the Utmost Care and Kindness to Individual patients (BUCK-I) Award recognizes Health System ancillary nursing staff (non-RNs who report to a nurse manager) for extraordinary acts of compassionate care they demonstrate in their work with patients. Winners of this award are known for exemplifying the mission, vision and values of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and truly making a connection with the patient and family through trust and emotional support, often going above and beyond the call of duty.
"We had a hepatology patient that was from the same country in Africa as Georgina. This patient really did not have any family that he was close to that would visit him, so we became his family. This patient was quiet with every other staff on our unit, but when Georgina was his PCA, his face was brighter, his smile bigger, and his day more productive. The day came when the patient was notified that a liver had become available. Although his brother was on his way, he was several hours away so most likely the patient would be going into the surgery alone. The patient was so scared. Georgina and I were with him the whole day, prepping him for surgery. Georgina would go into his room sporadically throughout the day and sing a few songs as she busily organized his room/gathered his belongings. I watched as the patient slowly became more at ease with the impending surgery as the day went on. We sent him off to surgery. Several days later Georgina and I visited that patient post-transplant. He had a huge smile on his face, and I remember him thanking Georgina for everything. I sincerely believe the patient’s anxiety was eased that day because of Georgina’s ability to sense that this patient really needed her today. He needed a kind, sincere, thoughtful PCA. He needed Georgina. Georgina processes a great gift. She connects with her patients and because of this, they trust her very quickly. Many times, she tends to bond with our patients that end up staying on our unit for weeks, sometimes months. Those patients tend to be deemed mentally incompetent which makes for a very difficult discharge. One patient was with us for 2-3 months. She was an older woman. Mentally unable to make her own decisions but still knew who she was, where she was, what day it was etc... This became so difficult to watch because she would beg to leave the hospital, staff would have to gently inform her that we could not let her go just yet. She would spend a lot of time in her room, not talking, wanting to be left alone. Georgina instantly connected with this patient. Countless times I saw Georgina go out of her way and walk with her. She would give the sitters “a break” even though Georgina was not assigned to that patient. She would spend time with her, let her talk, and listen to her stories about her home country of Russia. She spent so much time with this patient, that soon other staff members followed suit. Pretty soon, this patient trusted our staff more, spent more time walking the unit instead of staying closed up in her room, and opened up a little and was more social. Georgina was a great example of how a little bit of kindness and caring can help patients feel safer and trust their caregivers a little more. Quite possibly may even make their stay a little more bearable. I sincerely hope you will consider Georgina for the BUCK-I award. All of 9 East Rhodes feel the is no one more deserving of this recognition." - Margaret Good, staff nurse, 9 East Rhodes
Do you know of a staff member deserving of the BUCK-I Award? Nominations are accepted quarterly. Submit a nomination.
Contact Colleen Gains at Colleen.Gains@osumc.edu with any questions.