I was assigned to shadow in the CTSICU as part of my critical care clinical rotation at AGH for nursing school. I walked into the unit excited but nervous and was welcomed by the unit clerk, who directed me to the charge nurse to be assigned a nurse for the day. I was assigned to John and our patient was clinically and ethically challenging. John could have easily told me to sit in the corner and watch, but he did the exact opposite. John took the time to explain EVERYTHING to me in great detail, answered all of my questions, and if he didn't have the answer, he found someone who did. At one point, he found out that our patient was ordered a test that he wanted me to see, but she wasn't going to have it done until I was gone for the day. He found another patient on the unit who was having the same test to make sure that I got to see it. He even made sure that I was a part of the family meeting for our patient so that I could experience all angles of patient care.

Unfortunately, I have encountered several nurses who embrace the "eat your young" mentality during my clinical time, which makes for a less than encouraging experience. Even though it was just a single 6-hour clinical shift, John's willingness to take me under his wing and teach me while taking excellent care of a very complex patient meant more to me than he will ever know and is an experience that I will carry with me for the entirely of my career. The world of nursing needs more Johns.