I understand that many of these stories involve patients with nurses that have a long relationship. My encounter is a bit different but still monumental. My location of choice for a VA is one that is quiet and keeps my anxiety down. Well, today I had to travel to the main Minneapolis VA hospital for specialty care. I called the hotline twice to tell them I would be late- my GPS was going crazy, my nerves were pinging, my brain was jumbled. I was so scared of being turned away.
I arrived and from the front desk, lovely Vicky came to greet me and she helped calm me down. She let me keep my coat on as I held my stuff to speed up the process. Handing me the important clipboards to speed things up and give to the doctor as I worked on other forms while still seated for vital signs. Walking me to greet my doctor, then as soon as I was done, my doctor gave verbal directions on how to exit. Vicky said she would walk me to the place I needed to go next. She stopped by her office and gave me a stress relief tip on getting back to my home since it is a long drive in traffic. She truly went above and beyond her job and dropped my anxiety level in a new location and most especially in a new state. Thanks, Vicky!