When you think about the ideal nurse, this nurse's face should come into your head. She cares for every patient as if they were her own sister; rarely does a day go by that a patient she has had does not compliment and gush about the loving care she provides them.

Recently, she cared for a woman who tragically experienced an unexpected neonatal loss. It was a traumatizing event for the patient, her husband, and everyone involved. The physician ordered an autopsy to seek answers for all. This nurse went above and beyond the call of duty to complete all the bereavement paperwork and processes properly. When she called the laboratory to inquire about the proper procedure to obtain the autopsy, she found out the procedure would only be done at the expense of the patient. Leading with the mission and living our service standards, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to find out what could be done to avoid compounding this family’s grief by having to pay for an autopsy and a funeral. She accessed any and all resources to find a mission-led solution for this grieving mother and father. Because of her advocacy efforts, she was able to have the expenses of the autopsy covered by the facility, and the grieving parents were none the wiser, thus not further traumatized by the situation. She stayed over her shift to obtain the needed help and complete all the paperwork to accomplish the task. The next day, she called back, on her day off, to assure the loop was closed and the family got what they deserved and needed. She did all of this behind the scenes while still providing caring, compassionate care for this grieving couple. She held hands with them, comforted them, did all the post-mortem care on the newborn so he was presented well to his parents, and she prayed over and with them.

Because of her hard work, caring heart, and staunch advocacy, this family’s worst day ever was made a little brighter, and they were able to obtain the answers they needed with no additional stress, heartache, insult, or expense. This nurse is truly an asset to every patient she cares for. Words are not enough but that’s what you have to offer. “I’m so sorry for your loss, I’m praying for you.” “It is my honor and privilege to take care of you through this difficult situation.” Unexpected neonatal death. A code effort all done in the presence of the parents who expected a perfect, healthy baby. Such a shock to all involved. We are not strangers to loss but this one is extremely difficult and an awful surprise. She has an orientee. She has an OR to still run as she circulates this C-section. She still must go through all the motions and use all her clinical skills while conveying her deep sympathy to these parents as she struggles with the effort to get her own emotions under control. This comes within days of another difficult loss with her as the primary nurse. She knows why she is chosen: to orient, to take patients deemed difficult or situations that are hard, or an assignment requiring a high skill set. It is her servant leadership. She leads her care with her heart and compassion. Yes, her skill set is excellent, and she is always challenging herself to learn more. Yet this is not the first thing her patient and their family see. They are met with her smile, warmth, and assurance that they are receiving excellent care with this nurse! As she continues her care throughout this day, she is met with the news of an unexpected expense the parents will have to pay and she moves to action. Phone calls are made, other servant leaders throughout the hospital work quickly to make this charge something the family will never see. There is fulfillment in this, yet it is still hard. Finally, she has the next day off, a day to decompress and re-energize. A time to explore her feelings and resolve that she gave the best care possible regardless of the outcome. Yet it is not to be. She receives a phone call where she is informed by her team that this patient is asking for her by name and desires to see her, speak with her. So, she comes because her caring is great. If she can be a part of the healing process it no longer matters that this was her day off. Imagine her surprise when she finds herself face to face with her patient. She is prepared to offer comfort, yet she is the one receiving comfort from this kind woman who is suffering such loss! Her patient met her with a card and a cross, thanking her for her beautiful care and offering words of encouragement. She recognized this loss was felt by her nurse and the OB team too and felt the need to validate their emotions. The one needing consolation comforts others. That is a gift! So, the nurse will show up another day, work her shifts, carry this in her heart and share with her team that yes, we do make a difference every day when we choose to lead with our hearts.