This student nurse is nominated because they have the heart of a nurse. Compassion and caring come naturally to this student. One example occurred during a procedure when a patient had to have a talc pleurodesis at the bedside for an ongoing chest tube leak after thoracic surgery. This procedure was incredibly painful for the patient. Before I could say anything, the student wet a cool cloth and placed it on the patient's forehead for comfort. The patient had received a dose of pain medication, but this gesture of compassion soothed the client as best that could be done before the nurse could administer another dose of pain medication.

Another example is the student's own reflection: "I was helping a peer clean their patient up, and he was obviously in a lot of pain and very embarrassed that he needed help. I remembered him talking about his family and how much he needed support at this time. I was already holding his hand but nodded for his wife to come over, and she took my place holding his hand. He told me later that day that this small act of kindness really made his day. He told me that not only did he feel like I was really there for him, but giving his wife a place at the bedside to be there for him was very important for him. I could have easily just helped my peer clean him up and tried to hurry but taking these couple of seconds to be there for him mentally made him feel better." This student exemplified what I call the "freebies" of nursing care. As the student stated, these small acts make a big impact on our patients and cost us absolutely nothing but the act of doing them.