Colin recently cared for a patient of mine who had been hospitalized for several weeks with a very complicated hospital course. She had become profoundly weak, depressed, and she was struggling to take in adequate nutrition to allow healing. Her husband had been with her for most of her stay, and was frustrated and concerned by her long and complicated hospital course. Both the husband and I were worried about how things would turn out for the patient in the long run. Most of her medical issues had come to a close, but she was not recovering. It seemed that she was dwindling, and while she should be getting better, her weakness, poor nutrition, depression, and difficulty mobilizing put her at risk for the next potentially life-threatening event or complication.

I had cared for her for four days already when Colin became her nurse. He aggressively mobilized her, getting her out of bed with the use of a sling. He encouraged her to stay up in a chair, even when she didn't want to. He worked with her on eating, and encouraged her to participate in meals and with her physical and occupational therapists. He made sure that all of her basic physical care needs were met, and at the same time, compassionately dealt with her depression and supported her spouse. When I would come in the room the lights would be on and the blinds would be open to let the sunlight in. All of these things seem simple, but Colin consistently managed them in a way that prior nurses had not, even though it took extra effort and time to do so.

Over the three days that Colin cared for my patient, the change was remarkable. Simply getting out of bed, eating better, having some sunshine, and being pushed to participate in therapies in a supportive way changed my patient's physical state and started to bring her out of her depression. She was almost unrecognizable from how she looked early in the week- the change was that dramatic. For the first time, I felt hopeful that she would make it out of the hospital and recover, while during the early part of the week, I was consistently concerned about her ability to overcome her illness in the long term. The patient's spouse noticed the difference, too.

I have worked with Colin many times over the years, and he consistently goes above and beyond to do what is right for his patients and communicate well about their care. I can always trust that when he has one of my patients, the patient and family will be well taken care of, and things won't be missed. I worry much less as a physician when he is the nurse for my patients because I know that he is smart and reliable and will do the hard work that needs to be done to meet the needs of the patient and family. He is truly an excellent partner in providing care.