A young patient afflicted with several chronic health issues was recently admitted to the ICU. These health issues were severely impacting his life. This patient was a challenge, because he attempted to control whatever aspects of his health care he could.

During one night shift that Kim Gallant was assigned to care for this patient, he was having difficulty getting to sleep. They found some common ground of mutual interest, which seemed to open the door towards this patient expressing his feelings and fears that were impacting his life. Realizing how important this was for this patient, Kim spent several hours with him through the night, allowing him to express his thoughts and feelings. This patient was so appreciative of the care that she had provided him with, just listening to and talking with him, that upon discharge, he left a beautiful hand drawn diagram of hearts and roses with her name inscribed on it. One of their common interests was art.

Nursing, by nature, tends to be task-oriented. Most nurses find it easier to provide this type of care. On this particular shift, Kim recognized that the patient's needs were on an emotional level as well as of a physical nature. By providing the care that this patient needed, she was able to meet what many of us learned back in nursing school, to provide for the bio-psycho-social needs of the patient.