Following surgery, I stayed in Bloomington Hospital for two nights; my day nurse the first two days was Nancy Welty. I was immediately put at ease by Nancy's engaging manner and her very efficient manner of operation - she has a proactive approach to her job, but not at the expense of following the steps to care. She was thorough without being tedious, smart without being over bearing, and most of all she listened to me as if what I said mattered a great deal. That last statement may sound trivial but after two years of pretty intensive cancer treatment, and having met hundreds of nurses, the virtue of listening actively to one's patient is not a skill you can teach; it's special and inherent in the best nurses I've encountered.
During my first night, I experienced a tachycardia episode that lasted several hours - this was co-incidental to using the pain pump I had been provided that allotted Dilaudid to me upon pressing the button. Nancy quickly made the connection between the timing of the self-supplied Dilaudid and the onset of the quickened heart rate; she did this, I believe, both with a combination of intelligent intuition and keen observation - she understood her patient. This, too, is a special trait among nurses - to do one's job so well as to understand a patient's entire condition and to use that knowledge to render better care.
I felt confident in my care with Nancy, and that confidence made it far easier for me to recover rapidly from surgery and know that I would be fine. I deeply appreciate her professionalism and friendliness, both provided in correct amounts, that actually made a hospital stay rather enjoyable!