Brian O'Callaghan, BSN, RN
Burn/Surgical Trauma Intermediate Care, Tower 8AB
Nominated by Diane Tsitos, MSN, RN, nursing director, and Sharon Swan, MSN, RN, assistant nursing director, with letters of support from 8AB nurses in-charge Dawn MacDonald, BSN, RN, Laura Bresnahan, BSN, RN, and Leslie DeLisle, MS, PMHCNS-BC, Barbara Lakatos, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, and Monique Mitchell, MS, PMHCNS-BC, program directors of the Psychiatric Nursing Resource Service.
Many patients in the Burn/Trauma unit at BWH have significant physical and psychological injuries, as well as complex care needs. With great sensitivity, thoughtfulness and compassion, Brian O'Callaghan, BSN, RN, makes it his mission to develop relationships with every patient to ensure they feel safe and cared for.
"No matter how busy the unit is, Brian will spend as much time as it takes to give support to someone in need," wrote Dawn MacDonald, BSN, RN, and Laura Bresnahan, BSN, RN, in a letter of support. "He is an inspiration to watch in action, and the many nurses he has precepted over the years cannot leave him without being touched by his patience, kindness and integrity."
O'Callaghan recently demonstrated his commitment to relationship-based care in the case of a young woman with extensive burns, who also had issues with substance use. O'Callaghan cared for her for several days, during which her wounds improved with his wound management expertise, her pain was controlled and she opened up emotionally.
"During rounds, Brian was able to articulate her psychological wounds and garner the appropriate resources for her, including addiction specialists and Social Work," said nominator Sharon Swan, MSN, RN, assistant nursing director. "By the time the patient was discharged, she had clearly developed a deep trust in Brian and was healthier in all dimensions as a result. Brian's sensitivity, thoughtfulness, ethical comportment and beneficence may have changed her future."
According to his nominators, O'Callaghan always dedicates extra time to understand his patients' needs and advocate for them.
"At the core of Brian's nursing practice is an understanding that the mind and body are one, and he takes great care to ensure his patients feel known and supported," wrote Psychiatric Nursing Resource Service program directors Leslie DeLisle, MS, PMHCNS-BC, Barbara Lakatos, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, and Monique Mitchell, MS, PMHCNS-BC, in a letter of support. "His ability to connect empathetically and impart a sense of safety is germane to his nursing role."
O'Callaghan earned his BSN from the University of Massachusetts Amherst following his basic nursing preparation at Cragavan Hospital in Cragavan Northern Ireland. His 17 years of nursing practice include care of terminally ill patients in hospice settings, as well as supervisory positions at Beverly Hospital. O'Callaghan joined the Burn/Trauma Unit in 1998.