The LPN was my nurse for my first visit with a PCP, and as an MST victim recovering from alcoholism and PTSD, I was very anxious about how I was going to be treated. It has taken years for my support system to even help me get to this step, and by the time I was waiting for my appointment, I felt like running away. She was already helping field patients for three different doctors because they were so short-staffed, and my appointment was running late, but she came out several times to keep me updated. I immediately noticed how gentle and genuinely kind she was because I was looking for any excuse to get up and leave. When she did take me back, she spoke to me gently and was reassuring about each step, telling me about all the resources there were and even helping me feel better about my doctor. I haven't been out of my house in months except for necessities. I don't have friends, and at the time, all I had was the VA. She made me feel like a human again. One that deserved care, that was normal, and that was doing well. Maybe this isn't rescuing people from a burning building or reacting to a wild emergency, but a year ago, I was going to eat a bullet and I felt as fragile as glass. By the end of my appointment, I felt like a whole person, like there was a way up. I just needed one person to care. And she did.