Kathleen is an outstanding nurse. She has been a nurse for probably longer than she would care for me to share. She has worked with a number of different patient populations and in most recent years has called the Emergency Department home. She is currently the charge nurse and as a leader, she provides tremendous support to the staff. In her leadership, she is committed to process improvement so that quality care is delivered to all of our patients all the time. She works hard and has built strong relationships with her peers and with the ED physicians. She is well respected for her dedication to her patients and her team.
One of the most rewarding and challenging things about being in the Emergency Department is that the day and the patients are always different. Imagine taking care of a 2 year old (and his parents) with a facial laceration from a dog bite, an 88 year old woman from a nursing home with altered mental status, and a 56 year old homeless, chronic alcoholic who you know so well he asks you to marry him every time he comes in which is sometimes 3-4 times a day. These are Kathleen's patients and she loves it. She is a nurse. One of the things Kathleen is most fervent about is treating her patients equally and with compassion. She never judges why patients come to the ED. She just knows she is here to help them to get what they need. She is a nurse.
Kathleen has expert clinical skills which often translate into a formidable patient advocate. She is the person everyone goes to when they need help with a difficult IVstart. She is also the first person to tell the doctor "we are not going to put an IV in this person" if she thinks it will be a poor experience for the patient. She knows and everyone trusts her clinical instincts and patient assessments.
Recently, there was a dinner to celebrate nursing. Kathleen was nominated to attend by our manager because of her commitment and passion for nursing. Kathleen responded to the invitation with reflection on what being a nurse means. For Kathleen it is being committed to the profession, making a difference in people's lives. Upon further thought, Kathleen shared, "Nursing is a calling. It is not about generalized Pollyanna-ish goodwill. What it demands of us is everything we have - it is work like no other, meaningful work that is as much as a gift to us as it is to our patients. It is a privilege and a blessing to have such meaningful work that, and with humility, gratitude, and pride I say "I am a nurse".