Care was a cut above
A caregiver honors patient’s wish for a haircut by bringing the hairdresser to her bedside
When Julia Protsenko set about to honor a patient’s wish, you could say it was with “shear” delight.
One evening, Protsenko, a night shift nurse at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, happened to chat with the husband of a patient staying in a nearby hospital unit.
He mentioned that his wife had wanted to have her hair cut before her hospital stay. Ever the caregiver, Protsenko took his passing comment to heart.
She was off duty the next day and even though she herself had not been involved in giving nursing care to this particular patient, she arranged to bring a hairdresser that night. The stylist gave the patient a haircut at the bedside.
The patient’s husband was delighted to see his wife’s wish fulfilled. According to the cardiac care team, it meant a lot to the entire family for their loved one to receive care that was truly a cut above.
