As a 'care extender' here at UCLA, there are times when you feel like you have nothing to do and no one really needs your assistance. Christine was always sure to approach me with a list of various things that I could fill my time with. At one point, she even created a checklist and printed it out for me. Many of the other nurses would often tell me that they did not need anything so I know that Christine was simply going above and beyond to make me feel like my time volunteering was making a difference.
There was an instance where a patient was going home the following day with a prognosis of six months left to live. Christine made it her absolute priority to tell me and the nursing volunteer who was there at the time how important it was to make this man feel as comfortable and normal as possible. She explained that being compassionate and caring for your patient as a friend rather than as one of your sick patients is what nursing is all about. She said to ask about his life and his loved ones and his story rather than his sickness.
As a nursing student, this is something that will stick with me forever, and I hope to be as wonderful and genuinely kind of a nurse as Christine is one day!