Jen was the consummate professional and displayed incredible kindness, care, and love for my father for all four days of his stay. She responded to every one of his frequent requests for information with patience and understanding. She quickly earned our trust and provided us with wise counsel. She requested to be assigned to him on each subsequent day, knowing how important it was to my dad to have a familiar face. 

The ultimate example of Jen’s positive impact on my dad and our family came on the last night of his stay. Jen had built such trust that my dad felt comfortable sharing with her some of the deep struggles he was having. This was something he had not previously shared with anyone outside of a few family members. Jen listened intently and compassionately for an extended period right before shift change, a time when obviously she had a lot of other important things to handle. After hearing all of Dad’s thoughts, Jen offered unbelievably thoughtful and meaningful insights from her personal experience that were exactly what my dad (and I) needed to hear. 

A final act to mention is that when it was determined late on day three that Dad would not be going home, Jen volunteered to take an extra shift the next day in order to be present and help on day four. 

I can’t say enough about Jen and all she’s done for Dad and for our family. He leaves the hospital not only better medically, but better emotionally and psychologically, as a result of Jen’s personal care. Jen embodies all that I believe nurses aspire to be, and I hope she is formally recognized for her great work.