I am writing to nominate Julia, my husband’s nurse, while he was admitted at St Luke’s Bethlehem for rapid a-fib. This is the second time in the last year that my husband has been admitted for cardiac issues. He was also admitted last year and had a horrendous experience. In fact, it was so bad that this time he tried to stay in the ER and was nervous to be admitted. He was brought to room 531 and immediately had the best care and the best nurses.
Although all the nurses were excellent that night, his nurse, Julia, was extraordinary and went above and beyond to help my husband feel comfortable and informed about his condition and test results. She treated him like family. In a trying, exhausting environment, Julia never made my husband feel like a burden or as if she had something better to do that was more important.
My husband has had a few hospital stays over the years, and this was the first time he was ok with me going home and felt comfortable being alone at the hospital. This really meant the world to me. I was able to leave and not feel guilty or question his care. Julia’s rapport with her patients and professionalism, in addition to her kindness and easy-going nature, made my husband’s fears subside- it meant I could go home, shower, and sleep at home (which is a big deal if you’re the spouse).
The next morning, I was back at the hospital at 10 am. Julia already went home. My husband told me that after I left, the night before, around 10 pm, Julia came back after her rounds and sat with my husband and went over each and every test result with him on his chart and explained what each test result meant. To me, this was above and beyond. My husband said he was awake and couldn’t sleep, and was worried. He said Julia sat and talked with him for a long time and eased his worries, and took his mind off things. Julia spoke to him like a person, humanizing the situation.
Unfortunately, I was not able to thank Julia in person, but I would like to nominate her for this DAISY Award for her excellence in care.