Meghan and I were assigned two patients who had recently had major heart surgeries. Both patients were "busy," meaning we had many tasks to complete in a short amount of time, but one of the patients was also a "difficult" patient. This patient had her heart surgery less than 24 hours ago and was not yet stable, meaning we had to closely track her blood pressure, cardiac output, and blood loss, among other measures. However, this patient was also extremely anxious and demanding. While we were in the room attending to critical tasks, the patient would frequently lash out at us in anger, demanding more IV pain medications and telling us we were cruel to allow her to suffer, even though we had worked hard to provide her with the maximum pain relief available. Every nurse has faced this situation: Attempting to care for a patient who is unpleasant, angry, and uncooperative. Feeling stressed by all the tasks we needed to complete and the patient's hemodynamic instability, I felt impatient and irritated by the patient. I was not sure how I was going to get through the day. At that moment, I watched Meghan respond to the same situation. She never betrayed any sense of impatience. Rather, she continually sympathized with the patient and encouraged her. She answered all her questions, even when she asked the same question several times. Meghan did all this while swiftly and accurately completing many complex tasks. She didn't sacrifice the technical aspects of the patient's care, while she expertly handled the difficult human side of the patient's care. Meghan truly inspired me that day.

This past year as a critical care nurse, many of us have felt "compassion fatigue" and other fallout from the COVID pandemic. It has become more difficult to be present with patients and offer them the best of ourselves. Meghan was an example to me of the very best of nursing: Managing complex physiological problems while caring for the whole person, even when that "whole person" is difficult. Meghan met the patient where she was and helped her move along the path to recovery. Truly, handling difficult patients is Meghan's superpower, and I hope I can bring even a fraction of her grace, tirelessness, and patience to my own nursing.