Emily was caring for an elderly and homeless man who had multiple health problems and came into the ED early that morning from jail. The patient's chief complaint was wrist pain from a fall a few days before. An X-ray was negative for a fracture, and a splint was applied. The patient wasn’t pleased about the care that he had received. Emily gave the patient something to eat and drink, and the ED provider discharged the patient. Emily was getting the patient ready for discharge when she walked in and found the patient sitting on the floor trying to put his shoes on. She asked him what had happened, and the patient stated that he couldn’t hold himself up to put on his shoes. She assisted him up and noticed that the patient was weak, and he had to use his left arm and hand to lift his right arm. The patient could only lift his right arm up to shoulder height. Emily walked the patient to the bed and notified the doctor of her observations. The patient was sent for an MRI of the brain, and it was found that the patient had had an acute to early subacute stroke. He had also had a remote infarct in the left cerebellum. The patient was admitted to the hospital and received the appropriate treatment that he deserved, regardless of his financial and/or home status.

This is not the first time that I’ve witnessed Emily providing compassionate and thorough care to those most in need. She is very thorough and caring. She could have dismissed this patient regardless of his physical needs and social status; however, she is an excellent nurse and cares for those who are sometimes shunned the most.

She has exemplified this caring nature to all her patients and treats them as if they are the only one she has to care for at that moment on that day. They appreciate her attention to detail just as this elderly man did. Even the doctor verbally recognized her as having a great catch that day. He told her that he really appreciated her reporting the patient’s condition to him. It should be noted that the patient was also found to have pneumonia and Influenza A infection. So here was a homeless man with a criminal record, who was at the ED for care, and Emily was the angel that answered his most acute and immediate needs. Without her, it’s hard to say if he would have even lived very long in the shelter or if he would have been brought in via the Council Bluffs Police Department or the Fire Department's EMS team. Regardless, she took the time to really see the patient as a human being and cared for him with immense compassion and respect for her fellow man. She took a nurse’s oath, and she truly proved her dedication to her patients through this one patient, exemplifying the true meaning of nursing.