My 82-year-old husband was seriously injured in a fall at home and transported to Rhode Island Hospital to repair an FX left femur. After being stabilized in the emergency room, he was transferred to the fourth floor. His first nurse was Victoria G who did an extraordinary job of caring for my husband. Victoria demonstrates all of the care principles. She is a remarkable young woman who was clearly born to be a nurse. My husband has a mild case of dementia. Nevertheless, Victoria treated him with compassion and respect, two of the care principles that seem to come very naturally to her.

Victoria is an excellent listener and she connected with not only my husband, but also with me from the first moments of providing care. An example of the respect that she showed would be in my husband's difficulty expressing his pain levels. She noted that he could express the pain levels with a graphic but not a numerical value, and truly focused on ensuring that he was comfortable. In every respect, Victoria surpassed all expectations for our family at this difficult time.

Because my husband's exact time for surgery was initially not known, Victoria took it upon herself to do the little things that made a big difference. More specifically, she offered my very hungry and frail husband something to eat when the dinner failed to materialize. This was perhaps a little thing in the overall course of a day, but it was a big thing for my husband. A bowl of cereal, some apple sauce, and some juice allowed him to relax, get comfortable and fall asleep. This is an example of another care principle, being accountable. Victoria was truly focused on this patient and maintained my husband's trust and confidence throughout his stay on the fourth floor.

In sum, Victoria exhibits and embodies all four of the care principles: compassion, accountability, respect for the patient, and excellence in her job.