I witnessed Ashley do something so simple but so incredibly impactful. The OB unit didn’t have any patients, so the house supervisor asked if she could help with an ED patient. Ashley jumped in with a can-do attitude. There was a sweet lady who was being boarded in the ER for multiple days. She had not had a proper shower since she arrived. So, with some coordination and assistance provided by her teammate, Ashley showered her and got her all hooked up in her comfy clothes. And instead of just finishing and taking her back to her room, she took her on a “tour” around the hospital. They stopped and sat in the sun, talking with her, telling her little facts about things as they saw them, introducing and saying “hi” to other staff. I don’t know if everyone knows, but OB RNs don’t have to shower our patients, so it was out of her comfort zone, but you’d never know.

This is the “normal things” we take for granted- showering, seeing the sky, getting out of the same room, when you don’t feel well, you miss what makes you feel “human.” I know Ashley did these things not for recognition but because she could, and it was the right thing to do.

Thank you, Ashley, for going the extra mile and helping this patient feel clean and more connected, more human.