At ECU Health, the nursing professional practice model is meant to improve not only nursing practice but also outcomes and the environment for team members, patients, and families. Nurses utilize this framework daily for innovation, development, and interprofessional collaboration to ensure positive outcomes for our patients and families.

This practice model incorporates eight components to engage team nurses in professional practice: lifelong learning, professionalism, quality of care, compassion, caring, advocacy, teamwork, and dedication. Nurses also utilize caring behaviors such as maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling to create an environment that assists in patient and family healing.

Many feel that nursing relates to saving lives, healing the sick, and assisting those bringing new life into the world. However, there is also a realm of nursing that helps to heal the spirit of the sick by keeping not only the patient, but also the family, comfortable during the transition from life to death.

B.W. came to palliative care to continue her end-of-life journey with her family. During her 24 hours on palliative care, the team discovered that her daughter was engaged to be married in six months. The daughter knew that her mom would not want to be kept alive by artificial means and made this difficult decision for transition, but she also struggled with knowing her mom would not see her get married.

Amy Hines (primary nurse), Kathy Gilbert (Manager), Liz Gotch, FNP, and Eric Myers, PA, began to brainstorm ideas for a wedding ritual. Amy and Kathy incorporated other members of the palliative care unit to assist, including pastoral care services chaplain Linda Moore, Kelly Thorne, RN, Pam Philippi, RN, and ECU nursing student Racheal Wilsynski, to help plan this event.

Our unit secretary, Angela Suggs, made decorations and hung them in the patient’s room. Flowers were purchased from the hospital gift shop for the bride-to-be and the mother (patient). The family was told of the “mock” wedding and brought the couple’s wedding bands and a veil for the bride-to-be. Kathy Gilbert and April Meeks utilized the couple’s phone, at the daughter’s request, to take photos of the event as it took place.

Wedding music was played as the bride-to-be entered the room, and Chaplain Moore officiated the “mock” wedding at the patient’s bedside. There were tears of joy from not only the family but also the palliative care staff. The staff had a cake delivered for the cake-cutting ceremony. The patient passed away peacefully the next day.

Although there were many tears following the passing of B.W., the daughter was grateful that she had photos of her mom at her “wedding.” The palliative care staff utilized several aspects of the practice model, including professionalism, quality of care, compassion, caring, advocacy, and teamwork, to ensure this family was at ease.

Professionalism and quality of care were demonstrated by ensuring the patient and family were comfortable throughout the entire transition process. Compassion and caring were shown by ensuring the family was at the bedside. Advocacy for the daughter’s needs was demonstrated through interprofessional teamwork with chaplain services, physicians, nurses, care partners, family, and students.

Through caring behaviors such as maintaining belief through prayer and religious ceremony, along with doing for the patient's daughter’s wishes, the palliative care team showed the true colors of the ECU Health nursing professional practice model.