March 2024
Kenya M
Crear
,
LPN
Behavioral Health 25-1
Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System
Biloxi
,
MS
United States
Her accountability, justice, nonmaleficence, autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, and veracity cannot be compared. Her nursing ethics are impeccable, and her bedside manner is always hospitable.
I have the pleasure today of sharing what a nurse here at the Gulf Coast Veteran Healthcare System represents. Nurse Kenya Crear has been instrumental and exceptional of her duties on the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) unit. She checked me in when I arrived and made sure I understood what was expected of me. She asked my roommate if he'd switch beds with me because I was the bigger veteran of the two of us. He did. I didn't have to ask her or him to do that. She took initiative. Another occasion came about when I and another veteran were having some issues. She made sure we both were safe. Unfortunately, I had to leave sooner than planned due to a family emergency. I returned to the facility a short time later and immediately felt safe again. I was on the psyche unit for 17 days before being allowed back into the PTSD program. Of course, Nurse Crear was busy as usual. I kind of knew my way around, so I was less needy as someone coming in fresh off the streets. One evening Nurse was still at work although her fellow employees had left for the day. She was tending to another veteran and spoke to me in passing with patience and concern to tell me that she’d be back to speak to me in a few minutes. I asked her why she was still at work so far past the time she was scheduled to leave, “It's your Friday and your coworkers are gone”. She looked at me and said, “I'm here to take care of you,” and that's exactly what she did. She was speeding around taking care of things. I had to ask her to slow down and tell her I wasn’t in a rush. Another veteran was having difficulty finding his room and she stopped and helped him as well. She helps the Veterans, assists other nurses and does it all with the motivation of a Marine. I'm smiling writing this because I can go on and on…. I wish we could duplicate some more of what she represents. It's a gift for her, not a job. Her accountability, justice, nonmaleficence, autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, and veracity cannot be compared. Her nursing ethics are impeccable, and her bedside manner is always hospitable. That makes her easier to approach. Veterans have misguided pride sometimes. She makes the whole unit better with her determination and enthusiastic personality. I'm proud to call her my nurse.