I watched Shelly suffer through a brutal day in our unit. Every single one of her patients was exceedingly difficult. Moreover, I watched her feel defeated as one of her patients refused all care and chose to be miserable all day. That she expressed such exemplary compassion is remarkable, especially on a day that might have left someone else completely cold. But that's not why I'm writing this.
Hours after her shift had finished, Shelly was still here documenting her day. The wife of the patient came out and told us that the patient had finally changed his mind and wanted to receive care. I did not ask Shelly if she would go back to help, two hours after her shift ended. No one had to. Without a second guess, she immediately followed the wife back to the room and started helping. 30 minutes later and a placed NG tube, she's coming out of the room. I don't think I can recall anyone else showing this sort of compassion.