As a VCU NICU nurse, hospitals have never bothered me. That was, until my husband was admitted to the CICU following poor results on his right heart cath. My husband has been in heart failure since 2010, and we always knew he would need a heart transplant, but we thought we had more time. Additionally, we didn’t expect to be admitted the entire time he awaited a heart transplant. We thought he would be admitted for a short time and discharged home with IV meds or an LVAD or something similar. 

Being on the family side is very different and extremely difficult. If it were up to me, I would have been at the hospital 24/7 with my husband, but having a young toddler at home made that impossible. I spent over an hour of driving daily between the hospital and home. 

Early on in our hospital journey, I felt like I was left out of the loop. I came to the unit in tears, utterly confused and overwhelmed, prior to my husband’s first big surgery. That was when we met Rachael, who was the bright spot of our journey. She listened to me and understood what I was feeling. I wanted nothing more than to be talked to. As a NICU nurse, I was entirely out of my scope of knowledge and I wanted to learn absolutely everything so that I could support and advocate for my husband. Rachael pulled out posters with the device my husband was going to have implanted, so we could see all the parts and pieces to it. She explained every part of it, how it worked, and why it was helpful. She printed out notes and pictures to help us better understand, sat with me to explain everything, and answer all of my questions. She advocated that I be called every day after rounds with an update, from either the nurse or medical team, or both as it seemed fit. 

I cried every single day when I had to leave my husband and go home to care for our toddler. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough for my husband or our toddler. The days that Rachael was caring for my husband were the days I felt most at peace. I knew he was in great hands and she would call me if anything changed. Rachael recognized what we needed, sometimes even when we couldn’t verbalize what it was. I could see my husband’s mental health deteriorating and I asked her what we could do. She helped come up with ideas such as utilizing recreation therapy, dogs on call, and even asking about our toddler being able to visit. She took the time to just sit and talk with us when we needed it, not only about his medical care, but also to have a normal conversation distracting us. She made sure not only the needs of my husband were met, but that they were exceeded. She helped me through the most difficult time of my life and was more than a nurse to my husband, but was there for me as a family member too. She is the true definition of family-centered care. 

While we encountered several great nurses in the CICU, nobody compares to Rachael. She kept everything real and she was so personable. It’s true what they say, nurses do take care of their fellow nurses and VCU does deeply care for their own. Being on the family side of my husband’s journey to a new heart, and because of the incredible care Rachael provided to us both, my view of my own nursing career has changed for the better and I strive to be like her in my own practice.