The CCU admitted two trauma patients: a husband and wife both in their 90's after a motor vehicle accident. They had been married for 70 years. The husband was transferred out of the CCU before his wife. Rob was taking care of him that day and was aware that his wife was still admitted to the CCU. Rob decided to make a detour as he transferred his patient out of the unit; he wheeled the patient into his wife's room where they were able to hold hands and have a conversation, something that they had not been able to do since admission.
Undoubtedly, Rob had many things to do for his other patient and probably was about to admit another, but he took the time to give this lovely couple some time together. As it turned out, this would be the last time the couple would be together as the wife made the difficult decision to transition to comfort care. I have no doubt that the gift of time together that Rob arranged, gave this couple and the entire family, some peace knowing that they spent those last moments together.
Rob's actions made an impact on his colleagues. The story was shared many times on the unit. When I thanked Rob for his kind actions, he humbly stated that it was his pleasure and privilege. He also went on to share that the husband was a World War II Veteran and that they had spent quite a bit of time talking about his service to our country. Rob also stated what a privilege it was to take care of him.
Critical nursing can have a reputation for focusing more on the technical and complex aspects of nursing practice versus the human aspect of caring. Rob is a highly-skilled, technical critical care nurse but it is clear, based on his actions, that he has not lost touch with human kindness, compassion, understanding, and empathy - the integral components of nursing care.