I had the pleasure of having Maddie as my preceptor for capstone. One of our patients was a particularly emotionally challenging one to care for. The patient was in a lot of pain, and we had given her all that we could to make her feel comfortable. The patient kept saying over and over how much she just wanted to go home to see her kittens, but she did not have capacity to leave. All morning this patient pushed her call light, crying out in pain and loneliness. Maddie answered most of that patient's lights herself while juggling her other patients and trying to teach as well. By noon, Maddie had already spent at least two hours with that patient trying to make her more comfortable. 

Additionally, Maddie consulted a chaplain to speak to/comfort the patient. She also worked with the nurse manager and another nurse to try and locate some stuffed animals to comfort the patient since she couldn’t go home to see her kittens.

In the afternoon, Maddie and another student nurse went into the patient’s room to try one more thing to make the patient comfortable. I watched as Maddie combed the patient’s hair and proceeded to braid it so it wouldn’t tangle as much. The patient also received a full bed bath, linen change, two stuffed animals, and a boost chocolate milkshake. Maddie was in this patient’s room for over an hour trying ‘one last effort’ to make her more comfortable. After this act of kindness, the patient experienced less pain the rest of the shift and was finally able to rest, all while holding tightly only those two stuffed animals. 

Although the patient was in a great deal of pain, I think she mostly longed for someone to show her compassion and spend time with her. Maddie’s kindness and compassion eased this patient’s pain when traditional medicine could not. This scenario shows the true art of nursing and just how impactful an exceptional nurse can be.