While I was taking care of a 22-year-old female CF patient we began talking about how she does not feel good and she just feels "sweaty and unclean". She told me that she has only had one shower since getting her peg tube placed days ago because she is very uncomfortable with people seeing her, especially in her very frail and unhealthy state. She let me know that she was even uncomfortable with her mom helping her shower. She was almost in tears when she told me that asking someone to help her shower will feel like "giving away any dignity she has left to be taken from her". We continued this conversation with me letting her know that helping her is what we are here for and that no one wants to take away something as special as dignity from her. I remembered at that time, that the nurse for the patient's room that day was a male, and that Becca was the nurse for the patient in the following rooms next to this patient.
Becca is a nurse who has always been super eager to help and is always so sweet and caring with how she takes care of her patients. I asked the patient at this time if she would allow a nurse, that I trusted and specifically a female, to help her. The patient still seemed very hesitant and uncomfortable. I spoke to Becca about the situation and immediately Becca was so excited for the opportunity to help this patient feel better about herself. Becca jumped up from what she was doing, and even though she was not the nurse for this patient, she dropped everything she was doing and spent quality, caring time with this patient. They even "played salon" with her hair post-shower time.
Following the shower, I went in to see the patient again and her face said it all. Her appearance had completely changed, she told me she felt so much better and she was so thankful that Becca spent time with her and that Becca made her feel like a human again. In this situation, Becca exemplified value in assuring that the patient comes first and holding the patient with the highest regard in respect to her dignity, her sensitivity, and she kept her trust at the time it mattered most when it came to this vulnerable patient's state.
Becca, thank you so much for taking your time on a patient who was not even assigned to you for the day to help her and care for her in the way I believe she needed the most at that time. Thank you for being so kind to patients in their most vulnerable state. You are the reason the patient got to keep all the dignity she had left. You really meant a lot to the patient and you are appreciated so much. I am honored to work with such great nurses like yourself!