I've literally seen thousands of patients and worked with a slew of nurses during my many years as a nurse.
You can tell very soon when a younger nurse comes onto the floor as to whether she has "it". It is that thing about them that they aren't in it for the money. They are in it because they like to both help and heal people. They go above and beyond normal care, think about their patients when they are at home and try any/all physical and mental techniques in a way to help those who are scared and frail to feel stronger and more confident.
One such RN is Jessica Stenger. She's special, and I will share with you how she truly affected a young man's life by paying attention and stepping up.
This young man was a stroke patient and his life has changed dramatically. The patient could no longer speak, walk, eat or do any daily activities by himself. He relied on caregivers to understand all his needs.
Jessica spent a lot of time communicating as best as she could to try and find a way to help this young man improve and help him navigate through all the challenges he was both currently facing and about to face moving forward.
The young man could not speak, so there was a lot of plodding in trying to unearth the best way for the patient and nurse to communicate with one another. (i.e. came up with a communication board that he understood). He was very scared. He was also happily married. His wife, however, could not visit much because she was unable to drive. Visiting him daily was limited due to his circumstance and Jessica became that lifeline that many patients need to keep positively grinding toward improvement/recovery.
She would take the young man out of his room to spend time with his family, so he could "see more things than just four walls". She had to speak on his behalf as she had familiarity with his communication and properly deciphered his thoughts, feelings, and wishes. (i.e. They came up with simple hand movements and eye movements to understand his needs).
Jessica also went out of her way and played games with the young man even though he only had use of the one arm.
Though the man's wife could not drive, Jessica offered to FaceTime his wife, so they could simply see one another, and she could talk to him from home. It made him smile and he never smiled.
There are so many fantastic, caring nurses who do great deeds, but Jessica does "it" every day. For the young man, Jessica was "an angel".