Between April 14, 2014, and June 6, 2015, I spent four months living in and out of various hospitals. For a month of that time, I was a patient at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for Neuroscience. During this time, I had the opportunity to encounter a vast array of nurses of varying quality. Among them all, Vince Passio stands out as truly exceptional (even among the other excellent nurses on the 6th and 7th units).
If you are wondering why I am writing this letter now, I have just found out that the condition that caused me to be hospitalized all those months has finally healed and the anniversary of my mother's death prompted me to reflect upon the care I received as a patient. During my hospitalization, I was not considered a high level of care yet my condition was very serious and required continuous IV medications and frequent blood work to monitor my drug levels.
Unfortunately, I was hospitalized in the summer, and feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression were setting in quickly. Although I was far from fragile, many of the nurses, while kind and compassionate, treated me like a delicate patient. They caused me to feel even more incapacitated than I actually was. I understand that they meant well, but there are both physical and psychological parts of a patient's hospitalization, and their treatment of me exacerbated the mental challenges with which I was already dealing.
Then along came Vince. From the moment he walked in the door, he treated me as though being a patient was Where I was, not Who I was. He helped me heal psychologically. He talked to me, the person, not the patient. As simple as that sounds, few nurses do it as well as Vince. He has an authentic way of taking an interest in me and distracting me from where I was by starting a conversation about the music to which I was listening or talking to me about what I do professionally and he took the time to speak with me periodically throughout the day and somehow managed to make me laugh.
The most significant thing Vince did might seem silly to some, but he escorted me outside to get fresh air and exposure to sunlight. He acknowledged I could not go wandering the streets of Philly on my own (attached to an IV), but he made time throughout his busy day to walk and talk outside with me - outside those four walls of my room and the unit.
In the extended amount of time I spent in and out hospitals both as a patient and family member, I came to realize how the profession of nursing is a very challenging and also rewarding.
Vince truly understands the needs of his patients from a physical and mental aspect. He is calming and his approach is relaxed - he does not show concern - yet the attention he pays all of his patients is truly extraordinary and exceptional. He is also the "go to" nurse on the floor when he is there. The other nurses apparently regard him as a role model. They look to him for guidance and expertise, which he offers generously, never looking for "credit." He is the nurse always looking in on patients assigned to other nurses when they are busy, never leaving his patients unattended. No challenge is too great for Vince, no task is too mundane. I would like to sincerely thank Vince Passio for taking such good care of me, and meeting my physical, mental, and social needs.