Making every patient feel known
The UCHealth Cancer Care and Hematology Clinic at Greeley Medical Center sees up to 70 infusion patients a day. For Paula Stirewalt, a patient care assistant, each one is more than a name on a schedule. She makes it a point to know each of them.
Stirewalt knows which patients like coffee, who enjoys a blanket or pillow, which snack someone prefers and the names of family members. For patients who return multiple days a week or over many months, these small details become part of a bigger relationship.
“I don’t get a tremendous amount of time with the patients, so I try to make the most of the time that I do have,” Stirewalt said. “Sometimes it’s 10 minutes, five days a week.”
One patient particularly loved the clinic’s white cheddar popcorn. When the snack ran out, Stirewalt went to the cafeteria and bought a couple of bags with her own money so the patient could still enjoy a favorite snack during their treatment.
For Stirewalt, making long days in oncology a little more comfortable, familiar and welcoming is just part of the job.
Her care extends to her colleagues, too. Each time Stirewalt brings a patient from the lobby to an infusion chair, she makes sure the nurse knows exactly where the patient is waiting through a little letter of encouragement.
On a bright sticky note, she might write, “Your patient is anxiously awaiting your excellent nursing care in bay two. You are amazing.” She leaves the notes throughout the day, every day.
“It’s a way to talk to my colleagues without talking to them,” Stirewalt said.
Her coworkers saved the notes and eventually returned them to her, writing notes of their own to show how much the encouragement means to them.
It is a simple interaction, but Stirewalt’s gift is making people feel seen.
“Whatever I can do to make everyone’s life better, it is a pleasure,” she said.
In a clinic where the days can be long and difficult, Stirewalt brings something patients and coworkers can count on. She offers a familiar face, a personal touch and a reminder that they matter.