This nurse is truly amazing and exemplifies what nursing is and how it should be. She is one of the most caring souls I have ever encountered. This nurse engenders a familial feeling with her patients as well as staff. She is a major part of the glue on our unit that keeps us all so close. She is always offering a helping hand or ear with impressive wisdom and advice. She has mentored many nurses and impacted countless nurses and patients' lives. She has taught me the value of education and applying it to saving lives. She has taught me how to stand tall in moments when it's hardest: from doctors continuously dismissing alarming signs and symptoms, a patient is experiencing and having to stand my ground to force the doctor to hear what is going on, to when patients who aren't so nice are crossing lines and how to deal with that appropriately. From supporting me in my very first code and every time we work together, for almost 4 years so far this nurse has always there for me. The support and wisdom from this nurse are invaluable. I know many others have numerous stories like these that are difficult to convey with words, but I shall try.
One story that hits very close to home, we had a patient who had been battling cancer and had been in and out of our unit many times. This patient was amazingly vibrant and fought her battle so elegantly. She fought through each pitfall with a smile and a kind heart. As is natural in such cases, we all bonded with this patient and her family over time. This nurse had a close bond, maybe because they were so similarly spirited or the fact that she understood the patient and what she needed to keep fighting with her head held high. Toward the end of this patient's journey, this nurse held her composure as hard as it was for all of us and helped us keep focused on caring for the patient and her family's needs. Many times, I saw her comforting the patient's sobbing mother, in her brief moments of letting her composure slip, and the nurse crying with her. One of the hardest things to watch is someone you care for, waste away, especially someone so full of life, and her child, nonetheless. This nurse was there for the patient, family, and the rest of the staff. She helped the patient to maintain her dignity in her last days as well as bringing comfort and solace to the family. This nurse went above and beyond the call of duty and even made house calls for this patient after discharge to continue to be there for the patient and family.
I don't know how she does it but this nurse is a beacon of light to the rest of us and an amazing person with so much knowledge and love to share. She is the type of nurse we all strive to be. She is the nurse you want around when there is something brewing or going downhill. Her compassion and knowledge are evident in her care for her patients and support for co-workers. Her skills are even more evident as well as the earned respect from doctors and staff alike after years of being an amazing nurse. Thank you, Claribel, for all that you do.