... Megan was the primary nurse for an elderly gentleman who came in from home by EMS. This patient had not been seen by a primary physician since 2006, and not out of his home for a very long time. He suffered from severe lymphedema of lower extremities and in my 32 years of nursing I never seen anything that was so stomach turning. His legs were so swollen and deformed that you could barely make out his toes. The odor was horrific, the infection overwhelming. He had been incontinent of urine and stool. He was awake, alert and oriented, with his wife at his side.

You might say, 'well Megan was just doing her job'. It was so much more than that. As a young practitioner, just a few years into her practice, she was so compassionate, caring and empathetic. She never once made this patient or his wife feel uneasy, belittled or ashamed because of his health and lack of health care. She embraced the situation, made sure he was clean, and that he was comfortable. She was able to get a bariatric bed, and enlisted the help of EMS to ensure he felt confident with us turning and lifting him. The bed had an assist bar and Megan would enlist his help with turning and moving. She would explain everything that she was doing, empowering him as a partner in his care.

I believe the patient's family would agree that Megan is a star, growing brighter every day in her practice seeing the patient and family as more than just a patient and embodying everything nursing is.