Mary went absolutely above and beyond for an extremely ill patient with schizophrenia. Unwashed, no sociability, more or less mute, Mary encountered the patient three times per week during his ECT treatments. While ECT was helpful, Mary was able, somehow, to connect to this patient, through his confusion and vulnerability. He would speak to Mary about his dogs and hopes. He shared more with her than any one of his primary treatment team.
When Mary learned that the patient was back-sliding as far as treatment was concerned, understanding her own connection with the patient, she made a special visit to him on our locked inpatient unit and got him up and walking. That was a turning point in his care.
Suddenly, seeing that dedication and special regard, the patient started coming consistently out of his shell. Mary embodies exactly what nursing is at its highest calling: treatment focused, patient-centered, caring, and humanistic. There is no better example of nursing.