Nathalie started 11 years ago as an Associate Degree Nurse and went onto a Nursing Bridge Program. She later earned her Master's in Nursing Education in 2016. In addition, Nathalie recently obtained Clinical Ladder III. She has been co-chair of our units Collaborative Care Council, is one of our magnet champions, is on the medication safety committee, is part of the CNO advisory committee, and is Co-Chair of the Quality Committee. Nathalie is dedicated to each committee and makes sure she attends all meetings even if that means coming in on her day off.
From the first day of orientation, it was evident that Nathalie had something special to make her an extraordinary nurse. She is knowledgeable, compassionate, inquisitive and is a true patient advocate. She has a special way of connecting with her patients. A perfect example of this is when Nathalie was caring for a patient whom she had taken care of for a few days and developed a strong connection with. Nathalie was then off for a few days and when she returned the patient was still there, but Nathalie had been given a different assignment. That day, the patient took a turn for the worse, and even though Nathalie was not their primary nurse she made herself available to him and the family to answer all their questions. She was so involved with the patient's care that she even stayed past the end of her shift to comfort them. That night, after speaking to Nathalie, the family decided to move forward with comfort care. He passed away peacefully the next morning. His daughter could not stop talking about what an amazing nurse Nathalie was. A few months later we received a letter in the mail from his daughter mentioning Nathalie. She included a prayer card that she wanted us to give Nathalie, and explained what a difference Nathalie made to her and her dad. She wrote, "Nathalie was always there to answer our questions even when she wasn't his nurse on duty. When my dad saw Nathalie his face always lit up, she truly was his Guardian Angel." This is just the type of person Nathalie is, always going above and beyond for our patients as well as her coworkers.
She once had a patient who had very few visitors. Nathalie always made sure to find extra time to sit and speak with her. The patient would always comment about the beaded bracelets that Nathalie wore and how much she loved them. When the patient was discharged and Nathalie was saying goodbye, the patient commented again about the bracelets. Without hesitation, Nathalie took one of them off and gave it to her. The look on the patient's face was priceless. It's these small acts of kindness that make a difference to our patients.
One final example of the impact that Nathalie makes on her patients' lives was with a patient she took care of who had ovarian cancer. As usual, Nathalie delivered the compassionate care she always does and once again was an advocate for her patient. Nathalie not only made sure the patient was comfortable but the family as well. Toward the end of her life, the patient talked about how she would love to set up a foundation to help kids with cancer get through such a difficult time. The patient lost her long battle with cancer. The family came back to see Nathalie to tell her that they fulfilled the wish and were starting "The Spencer Foundation". Nathalie had made such an impact on them that they asked her to be on the Board of The Spencer Foundation.
Nathalie receives multiple patient comment cards and we receive compliments from patients and families about her when we round. Nathalie not only makes a difference to her patients but to the unit as well. She is the first one to offer ideas when we are looking for a performance improvement project. She precepts many of our new orientees and is a strong resource person for the staff on the unit.
Nathalie's love for nursing is portrayed in the care she delivers to her patients. She is seen as such a warm, kind soul by both her patients and co-workers. She encompasses the true meaning of a nurse.