melissa mcdonald, BSN, RN

Throughout my labor, Melissa was there explaining every step of the process and giving me a heads up of things that might be happening. I was pretty ill from the magnesium, experienced several cases of nausea and was having trouble with my vision. Never once did Melissa flinch; she comforted me and helped reassure my husband.

Melissa knew her shift would be over before I delivered and made sure to introduce us to our new nurse. She made my daughter a beautiful handcrafted beanie with a bow out of the regular baby hats as a parting gift and told us she would go check on our little one in the NICU.

We received a handwritten note from Melissa at our daughter's bedside stating she was checking on her, how beautiful she was and well wishes for her health. It was very reassuring after several difficult days to know that people were looking out for our daughter.

I work in healthcare and I know the power of a provider that takes the time to connect with their patient and demonstrate a passion for their craft. When I return to work, I will use my experience with Melissa to drive discussions about patient care in our offices and how we can improve the level of compassion we show our patients.