Juan served as my uncle's nurse. During the first two days, my uncle was in critical condition. My family and I were distressed as we knew that death was a very real possibility for my uncle. We were all on edge, scared, unsure of what each day would bring. When Juan took over care, there was a sense of much needed relief. He took the time to ask questions about my uncle. "What does he do for a living? Does he have any children?" Juan took the time to ask about my family, about my uncle's personality and what my uncle is like as a person. He didn't talk as if my uncle was already gone, rather as my uncle was still here in the present. Juan took the needed time to just be with us, acknowledging that this was a very hard thing we were going through. Juan understood that nursing goes beyond clinical knowledge; it is a profession of compassion.
On the third day, my uncle was being transferred to hospice care. He was very restless, uncomfortable and obviously suffering from the interventions we were doing (i.e. BiPap, blood pressure monitoring, nasogastric tube, et cetera). Juan advocated for my uncle. He called the physicians repeatedly asking for pain medication for his patient and for the discontinuation of invasive measures as my uncle still had not been moved to the hospice floor, despite paperwork having been signed, because we were simply waiting for a bariatric bed to be delivered.
As a result of his efforts, Juan was able to discontinue blood pressure monitoring and the nasogastric tube. A morphine drip was initiated in addition to morphine intravenous pushes to be given as needed. Juan spent a great deal of his efforts advocating for his patient, all the while managing the work load of his other patients and being charge nurse. He must have had a great deal of pressure on him, but it never showed. He personally gave each of us a hug as we transitioned onto the hospice floor. Thirty-five minutes later, my uncle passed away. When we went back to 35 South and told Juan, he spent the needed time to allow my family to talk and process our emotions.
Juan is a newer nurse, but he has the core elements needed to make for a successful, lifelong profession that is sure to make a difference in the lives of each of his patients and their families.