When working in Labor & Delivery, we treat many patients who have fears. Patience and compassion are important skills to have when working with this population. Kaity demonstrated these skills recently with a patient who had an extreme fear of needles and was not permitting any tests or medication administration.

This patient was not only afraid but expressed this fear with anger and aggression when educated on the risks and benefits of treatment. Kaity spent much of her day at the bedside discussing and explaining the benefits of treatment not only for our patient but also for her unborn fetus. I observed her patience, compassion and patient advocacy first-hand.

When I expressed worries regarding the patient’s understanding of the risks of refusal, Kaity worked with me, the house shift supervisor, the department director, risk management, spiritual care, and the team leader to organize an ethics committee to find the best course of action to help our patient.

Not only was she dedicated to her patient on a personal level, but she also worked hard to document every interaction with the patient, physicians, and other care team personnel. She stayed past her shift for two hours to ensure accurate documentation, which, to me, makes her a great nurse. Her dedication to both the patient’s wishes and safety are to be applauded. Kaity acted as a patient advocate in the truest sense of the phrase. She went above and beyond for her patient, and I’m proud to work with her.