As nurses, we all share a common mission in working at St. Jude, but we are also all human. We have our own hardships and lives outside of work. Some struggles can be masked during our work hours, and others are simply too hard to hide. Our co-workers are our family, and they often know the depth of our needs without even knowing the source of our pain. I often watch this Shae exemplify excellence, practice with passion, and foster hope to patients and families but also to her fellow employees.
Often, nurses need to be nursed as well, and I had the great pleasure to watch Shae do exactly that with a co-worker. The amount of attention, degree of concern, and genuine care were given to this employee in her time of desperate need. She placed her loving hands on this employee and me as she said the most powerful word of prayer and encouragement. The care in her heart was that of an angel and should be given the greatest recognition. This is a moment I was blessed to witness, and one that will forever inspire me as a nurse. A great lesson was learned from the three of us at this moment- we are not a team because we simply work together. We are a team because we respect and care for one another. I truly believe the way we treat our co-workers will directly correlate to the care we provide to our patients and families. Our patients, their families, and our colleagues deserve nothing but the best and that is exactly what she delivered.