I have worked with Emily for half a decade and have had the privilege of working side-by-side with her caring for critically ill patients. During these years, Emily has become my role model and inspiration. Over the course of my career, I aspire to develop the qualities of Emily's nursing skills and genuine empathy and compassion.
Emily is above all else an advocate. She has the training and knowledge to understand what is best for her patient and has the courage and confidence to fight for it. She listens to families and their concerns and takes those concerns to heart. If I were the parent of a child in the PICU, I would feel completely heard and involved. Emily makes parents feel like they are a part of the PICU Team. She gives parents the courage and confidence to advocate for their children. This helps parents feel like they have some control in caring for their children in situations where parents feel utterly helpless.
How does Emily skillfully manage the song and dance of holistic critical care nursing? Her empathy and compassion. Emily has personally experienced the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one. I've watched Emily flawlessly walk the line of both tending to an unstable, extremely busy patient while managing to find time to sit and beautifully support mothers and fathers, sisters and brother, and grandmas and grandpas.
Emily recognizes the critical difference she can make in both tending to a dying child while simultaneously showing compassion and kindness to those left behind with the memories and heartache of watching a child die.
Finally, Emily takes the time for the seemingly "less important" things. One night, Emily had a very ill patient whose outcome was tenuous and unknown. The parents of the little girl did not speak much English. The patient was extremely busy and required many machines to monitor her and keep her alive. Emily started her busy shift by getting the interpreter to fully update the family and explain exactly what the plans were for the shift and what she would be doing. She answered all questions and concerns.
After doing her assessment and long-list of labs, medications, and communications with all teams involved, she did something special. Emily took the next 2 hours to wash the patient's hair and attempt to get EEG glue out of the little girl's long and matted hair. She diligently spent her time gently trying to make the patient look beautifully like herself and not just another patient hooked up to monitors and machines. She chose to do this over taking a break or tending to herself. This may sound like a small thing, but it is how Emily operates all the time. She treats her career like a calling and brings love and compassion to each uniquely beautiful life she touches.