I am currently an inpatient at University Hospital hoping to be discharged today after hip/nerve surgery. When I arrived at my room in the hospital from the PACU I met Dan Sharp, the nurse assigned to me in the short-stay unit of the hospital. I asked him how he was doing (I thought the recent spike in COVID for Dane County must be taking its toll) and he cheerily replied he was doing well, and energized to be taking the extra night shift after his already long day shift. Obviously, there is a fiscal benefit to working an extra shift but Dan mentioned his energy comes from helping people. I could tell he genuinely likes what he does for a living. The night was pretty rough. There were numerous alerts announced over the PA, one just a floor above, and I heard my unruly neighbor yelling impatiently at the nursing staff. Dan arrived for my check-in and was very calm, positive, and eager to make sure I was doing well. I asked him about how nursing was during the time of a pandemic, and he told me everything was definitely elevated, but he demonstrated such a positive and empathetic attitude about it—people are isolated, frustrated, and lonely and he felt a calling to help them. He is definitely in his profession for all the right reasons.
I had a hard time sleeping with the heightened activity, alarms, announcements, etc. Dan noticed I was still awake and showed true concern. With my SP02 alarm going off, he made sure the monitor was turned so the lights would not keep me awake. He paged Respiratory to help me find a solution to be more comfortable. He went out of his way to help me remobilize and return to being able to perform basic human tasks. He always remained positive and supportive. We shared our mutual interest in classical music, which to me says a lot about a person. He helped me get my socks on when I could not reach them. He intuitively picked up what I dropped when I could not bend over. He made me feel like I was at home with a great support system, and suddenly the surgical incisions didn't hurt so bad. I didn't feel like I was so compromised with his attention and great care. With all the commotion and negative energy flying around with other patients, Dan was a cool head and most supportive in every way. I felt like I was genuinely cared for by someone who instinctively knew what I was going through. He showed me how I could navigate the awkward hospital gown to sit and lie down in bed comfortably. He made sure my surgical issues were manageable for me and that I had the tools and comforts to help me manage the side effects and get through the night (and even sleep!). He helped me plan ahead my night so I could get some rest as he stealthily stopped in to give me my prescribed rounds of antibiotics without waking me up. Dan is a personification of caring and compassion and made so much better my surgery and stay in the hospital. I am truly inspired by the level of care and attention he gave me—and the other patients on my hall last night. Thanks, Dan for being an Extraordinary Nurse!