Kate went above and beyond the call of duty while my son was hospitalized. My son is 16 and suffers from severe depression and anxiety. He was involved in a very serious motor vehicle accident in March. He broke both ankles, his femur, bruised his lungs, one was partially collapsed, tore his spleen and suffered a severe concussion.
He was in ICU for 3 days then moved to the surgical floor where we met Kate. As is far too common the case for those with mental health issues, patients are often met with bewilderment, uneasiness, and staff who just don't understand the disease of depression. While nursing school does a great job of teaching us how to take care of the body it does not cover how to care for the mind, heart and soul in the same way. We all know the brain has a science of its own that few understand. My son stayed on the surgical unit for 8 more days, it was obvious he needed physical care, multiple bumps, bruises, casts, etc. but not so obvious that his soul was hurting equally, if not more.
As part of his care routine he was asked a series of questions every shift about his feelings. Whether he felt suicidal, if he had a plan to hurt himself, how many attempts, if any, he has made, and more like these. All but one of the nurses asked him the questions, charted the answers and left the room, or handed him a paper with the questions pre-written, had him write the answer down and then left the room. Kate is the only nurse who took the time to sit on his bed, ask him the questions, explore his feelings, and try to do more than heal his broken bones.
Kate tried to heal his heart by showing courage in an uncomfortable situation, she attempted to bring him out of his shell and asked him to share his feelings, share his hurts, his hopes for the future and the impact the accident was having on his life. Even on days she was not his nurse she made sure to stop in and say hello and ask how he was. The day we discharged she came and sat with him. Kate showed the true heart of a nurse, although she was not a psychiatric nurse she didn't let this hinder her in caring for her "whole" patient. Our son was at ease whenever she was around. I later found out she is continuing her education to become nurse practitioner. She has already gained a patient for her new practice. We will never forget her kindness, her professionalism, and her genuine desire to help my son, and neither will he.
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Kate has a steady, gentle hand that helps her to establish a strong rapport with patients and families. She remains calm in stressful situations and regularly demonstrates her skill as a caring healer.