Kayleigh's clinical skill and especially her compassionate care exemplify the kind of nurse that our patients, their families, and our staff recognize as an outstanding role model.

A former patient and her husband returned to the hospital to bring a nurse a gift and told the following story:

Mrs. L was getting more and more depressed, she was on the ventilator, having trouble weaning. She had been in and out of the hospital for 13 months, starting with a new onset of A-fib. She used to keep herself up well; hair, make-up,nails, etc. and was upset about that as well. Her husband came to visit her every day but she would get very anxious at night. Mrs. L said that she looked forward to the nights Kayleigh worked because she would come and visit with her even if she did not have her as a patient. Kayleigh also came in one night and gave Mrs. L a manicure and did her nails for her. Kayleigh would change her nail polish frequently and they had fun with some wild colors. This made a huge difference in Mrs. L's attitude and she became more determined to get off the ventilator. She started doing better during this time and did actually get off the vent and went home with her husband. Mrs. L credits Kayleigh with this because of the time and personal interest she took in her. .