A year ago, Josh was severely burned in an accident. Fast-forward a year, Josh has recovered and during his recovery formed a bond with the Trauma Burn Center nurses. He comes to visit the unit to show his progress and share his experiences with those that were with him during his tough times.

One day when Josh was visiting the unit, we had a patient that had a similar experience to Josh, but unfortunately was not coping as well as he did. His pain level and low self-esteem was inducing feelings of insecurity, emotional tension, anxiety, avoidance, and social isolation. As soon as Josh learned of the young man's situation, he did not hesitate to step in. He went straight into the patient's room and spoke to him. To ease the patient's fears, Josh rolled up his sleeves to show how well burns heal. He explained his story to the patient, the hardships he went through, and advice he wished he had followed sooner. The patient listened to him intently, asked many questions, and voiced his own fears and concerns. Josh was able to answer everything and relate his own experience in a way that changed the patient's entire outlook. After Josh left the patient's room, the patient felt so much more at ease. He stopped refusing treatments and was more motivated to work hard on getting proper nutrition and doing physical therapy.

Josh offered to come back anytime to speak with any patient that may benefit from a conversation with someone from a survivor standpoint.

Josh is a survivor and a nurse, but it takes courage, care, and true compassion to provide for patients in this superior manner. Sometimes nursing is more than just being the nurse. There are few who have also experienced what it means to be a patient and that can make all the difference in changing a patient's outcome. Josh is the prime example of what it means to be compassionate. By turning a grim event into a celebration of life, Josh has become a role model for not only his fellow nurses but his patients as well.