When a patient missed a scholarship celebration, Nurse Practitioner John Barrett and the PPMC Emergency Department staff rallied to give her one on their own.
By Daphne Sashin
Nurse Practitioner John Barrett
Nurse Practitioner John Barrett, DNP, CRNP, who works in the emergency departments at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), always thinks about how he can make patients feel a little better – and it often has nothing to do with prescribing medicine. On a recent morning at PPMC, he sought to provide some comfort to Immanuel Nelson, a Temple University student who had tripped and fallen the night before while playfully racing a friend down the sidewalk. Understandably, Nelson was upset to learn she had fractured her leg and would need surgery later. But what’s more, her friend told Barrett, while in the ED Nelson was missing an event at Temple honoring Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars. Established by groundbreaking baseball player Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, the Foundation administers one of the nation’s premier scholarship and leadership development programs for minority college students.
Barrett asked some colleagues if they’d like to help give Nelson a Presby-style celebration before she was discharged that day with a leg brace and crutches, and they were all on board. ED technician Amelia Thoroughgood walked to Insomnia Cookies and bought the patient’s favorites (oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle); Nelson’s primary nurse, Giovanna Nunez, BSN, went to the hospital gift shop and bought flowers and a mug filled with candy and a balloon; and Barrett arranged for a Foundation staff member to speak with Nelson by phone. They and other ED staff members gathered around Nelson’s bed to present her with the gifts and share their well wishes while her mom watched via Facetime from New York.
Immanuel Nelson
“I felt so much love and just pure kindness,” Nelson said. “You don’t experience that all the time.”
Barrett said gestures like the one they organized that day aren’t just for the patients. “Most people went into this profession, whether they’re a nurse or a technician or work in registration, because they want to make an impact on other people. That day, the staff came together and felt better about their day. It made the day go better, just because we were able to show that compassion to that one person.”
At Penn Medicine, we all aspire to be Difference Makers who represent the Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) in action. PMX sets a consistent standard across all of our entities and work locations to make every touchpoint an opportunity to build enduring connections with patients, families, visitors and colleagues, which is a foundational part of the UPHS Success Share program.
Do you have a Difference Maker on your team? If so, let us know! Email Daphne.Sashin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.