Today I was helping Nurse Elizabeth at the bedside. From the first moment that the patient arrived, he had tears in his eyes. Nurse Elizabeth asked him, "Are you having any pain? What is bothering you the most?"

He said there is no physical pain that is bothering him but something even worse. He had lost his wife 6 months ago after 50 years of marriage. This was a touching and emotional story, especially hearing it on Valentine’s Day. His story made me emotional but what was touching was the way Elizabeth treated him. She treated the patient like family and gave him her full attention. I noticed Elizabeth knew what he was going through; his fear, anxiety, pain, and worry. It is a privilege to listen to a patient's experience, a moment of human connection and understanding that makes you a wiser, humbler person with empathy. You begin to think about how it feels to be in the other person's shoes. When you work with Elizabeth, you understand she's a professional nurse and a great person to look up to in your future self.