Nickolas Schultz
February 2023
Nickolas
Schultz
,
BSN, RN
ICU
CHI Health St. Francis
Grand Island
,
NE
United States

 

 

 

He was a constant for us throughout this turbulent storm.  Nick took such good and tender care of her and was so gentle with her.
We had the pleasure of having Nick for the entire duration we had a loved one in the ICU.  He is incredibly kind, intelligent, and willing to answer every single question our large family tossed his way.  Even though we didn’t have the comeback story you see in the movies, Nick made sure that not only our loved one was cared for but also that we were cared for by answering every single one of our questions.  The care our loved one received was impeccable and the fact that he picked up an extra shift to make sure he could see her to the end made a very tough situation more tolerable.  We owe our positive experience, despite the circumstances to Nick.

***

This nurse was everything to our family.  He meant everything to us.  He was my sister's healthcare person and helped us to understand all that was going on and why.  He explained things when we were confused or found someone to explain it.  He was sympathetic to our distress over the loss of our sister even before we actually lost her.  He was understanding of our need to be with her and did his work around us.  He was like another family member.  And that is what we needed.

***

First and foremost, I want to say how very awesome the whole staff was-from the nurses to the doctors at the hospital with my sister.  This was a very trying time for the whole family.  My sister suffered a heart attack at home and was revived.  The next day after talking to her doctors, her children decided to take her off life-support and let her go peacefully that evening.  It was then we figured out that she was an organ donor and the family's wishes to let her go that evening were not to be fulfilled.  This was extremely hard on her kids as they had gone through the process of deciding to take their dad off life support 8 years earlier.  Throughout all of this, the staff was so very compassionate and caring and need to be commended.  I can’t count the number of times they asked if we needed anything.   One nurse stands out above all the rest and that is Nick.  He was her nurse every day I think.  He was a constant for us throughout this turbulent storm.  Nick took such good and tender care of her and was so gentle with her.  He answered the numerous questions each of us had and always informed us of what he was doing to our loved one.  Nick walked around us when we were in the room, even when we were in the way and probably making his job harder.  Even though this was a very trying, stressful, and sad time for all of us that loved her, we took solace in knowing Nick would be there, taking care of her.  Nick even made sure to be there on our final day when we did the Walk of Honor for her.  It was comforting to see Nick there helping to wheel her to the OR.  Nick became like a part of our family and we all think that he is very, very deserving of the DAISY Award.  I have never seen such a caring nurse.  Thank you Nick for all you did for all of us, especially my sister.

***

My sister came here after having 4 heart attacks and Nick took care of her.  He was so respectful of our situation and what the outcome was going to be.

***

My mom had a heart attack.  After surgery, she came to the ICU.  Nick was with her right away.  He has been beyond patient with all of us family and friends.  We have had many visitors for her.  He let us stay whenever possible and just worked around us.  We had many questions for Nick.  He answered all of them whether he knew the answer or had to go find them.  Nick was my mom’s nurse for 4 days.  He was open and honest, he didn’t sugarcoat anything.  He explained every step he was taking.  He gave us every detail we wanted.  He explained and re-explained to us.  He checked on us as well as cared for mom.  Mom, unfortunately, did not get better.  She eventually donated her organs.  Nick made sure we knew what the transplant team was doing.  Nick worked with mom for 4 days.  He then got permission to work a 5th day to be with us on the final day of mom’s life.  We were so grateful that he was able to do that.  Having a familiar face makes a big difference.  Nick is an excellent nurse who definitely went into the right field.  He cares for his patients and their families.  He is very personable and supportive.

***

Nick cared for my mother-in-law after she went into cardiac arrest.  His knowledge and care were beyond excellent.  He described everything to us while giving us his full attention.  He never seemed rushed or stressed and always worked with a smile on his face.  He made us laugh several times.  When we found out that she would not recover, he made us feel very comfortable through every decision we had to make.  His positive energy got us through the toughest days.  He worked every day that my mother-in-law was a patient in the ICU, even going above and beyond to ask his boss’s boss if he could work an extra shift on the day of her organ retrieval, as she was an organ donor.  This put him working 5- 12 hour shifts in a row, but he wanted to be present and care for our loved one, and made sure that he was.  This helped our healing process tremendously and made us feel as though he truly cared for her as a person rather than just a patient. Nick deserves this nomination for everything he did for us and our loved one.

***

Nick is amazing.  He was here through the 5 day stay with our mom.  He answered all our questions and asked if he didn’t know the answer.  He made us feel very comfortable.  He talked and explained what he was doing to mom even though she was unconscious.  He asked to work an extra shift to be with us on the last day when we were to say goodbye to our mom before donating her organs.  He is very knowledgeable and is definitely in the correct profession.  He was very professional but very personable.