Mendy Alvernaz, RN, CMSRN

I first need to acknowledge that I am a nurse and I was a nurse who had never been a patient in the hospital. I had surgery recently which was mostly elective, but it was a big surgery and life-altering at that. I was anxious and nervous about the procedure of course, but also everything after. Mendy was my nurse on the medical surgical floor and took care of me postoperatively. I also want to say that my care pre-op and during surgery (at least from what I could remember) was phenomenal. Mendy really stood out to me as she had shared that she too had this surgery only a few months ago, and that information she shared with me was relieving to hear that someone else had been through it. At that moment it eased my mind a lot. She provided such excellent care. I felt safe, she checked on me at least every hour. She managed my pain well, she did her job, but her bedside manner demonstrated that she loved her job and that gave me a lot of comfort. She also asked my name and DOB every time she gave me a medication, and as a part-time clinical nursing instructor, this too gave me comfort. Her time and energy at the bedside were altruistic and empathetic and I felt like I had the best care ever. As a nurse, it was also a learning experience for me to be a patient and be vulnerable on the receiving end of healthcare. Mendy’s nursing care make me want to be a better nurse and spoke to the power of patients feeling the compassionate care that comes from a nurse that loves her job.