Haley role models compassionate care every day with each interaction she has with her patients and families. She easily develops connections with patients and their families by being fully present, actively listening to their concerns, and addressing them with empathy, kindness, and thoughtfulness while ensuring that patients feel truly “heard,” respected, and comfortable with their care. No matter how busy she is, Haley takes the time to truly understand her patients by sitting next to them, listening without interrupting, following through on requests, and simply asking what they need from a physical, mental, and spiritual standpoint to enhance their healing process. She builds strong interpersonal relationships with her patients by asking them what they prefer to be called, about their family and life experiences, and what they enjoy doing in their daily lives. This communication enhances the patient-nurse relationship, forming a trusting partnership.

A 52-year-old gentleman was admitted to SRC MICU with anaphylactic shock requiring intubation. Mr. C was extubated and, unfortunately, a few hours later, suffered a stroke with residual expressive/receptive aphasia. This was devastating news to him. Mr. C was a pastor and public speaker out of stte and came to Connecticut to lecture at Yale University on civil liberties.

Haley was his primary nurse, who admitted and took care of him throughout his ICU stay. Initially, after the stroke, he was awake, alert but confused, able to follow simple one-step commands intermittently. He was able to recite the alphabet and count to 20 but was unable to formulate words. During this time, Haley provided tremendous emotional support to Mr. C and his wife, who remained at his bedside. The patient was often tearful and showed frustration with his inability to communicate his needs and fully comprehend the language spoken to him.

Haley quickly recognized that Mr. C did not need her ICU clinical skills to heal and recover. Instead, he needed her time, dedication, patience, and understanding during this difficult phase in his recovery. To further support him, Haley and Mr. C’s wife participated in the Speech Therapy sessions. Speech Therapy gave him pictures and materials for continued practice. Haley and the patient’s wife continued with speech therapy throughout his ICU stay, having Mr. C name pictured objects. With repetition, practice, and verbal cues, his accuracy improved from 60% to 90%. Haley repeated these exercises during her shift, simplified the questions to aid his comprehension, and allowed extra time for his responses. Due to her extraordinary efforts, his frustration lessened, and his sense of hope and recovery increased. Before leaving the ICU, Mr. C’s wife wrote a thank you card to Haley, expressing her sincere gratitude, stating, “Thank you so much for all that you are doing for my husband. You are a true blessing, and I couldn’t do this without you!”

Mr. C was discharged from the hospital. A little over a year later, Mrs. C called the MICU and asked to speak to Haley, who happened to be working that day. She wanted to let her know that her husband unexpectedly passed away four months after his initial hospitalization. On this day, she happened to be thinking about Haley and the exceptional care she provided to her husband. She wanted to take this opportunity to thank her again. Even though she was still grieving her loss, it was important to her to acknowledge Haley’s extraordinary care during a very challenging time in their lives. Her sense of compassion truly made a significant difference in Mr. C’s life and had a lasting positive impact on his family.