Kristina Baldassarri
April 2025
Kristina
Baldassarri
,
BSN, RN, PMH-BC, MEDSURG-BC
Medical Observation and Behavioral Health Holding
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center and Atrium Health Levine Children's
Charlotte
,
NC
United States
Kristina has that way of inviting people to share, and it's why she is our Unit's Compassion/Well Being Champion.
Great nurses are always on duty, and Kristina is just one of those great nurses. Kristina happened to be assigned as the facility's BEST Rounding RN on this particular day. Back story for those that may not know, BEST is a new initiative at CMC, where an RN with skills in de-escalation responds to behavioral events and/or potentially violent workplace events to offer support to nursing staff as well as help advocate for challenging patients. So, while in this role on this particular day, Kristina was rounding on various nursing units, checking on staff and known patients that the team had encountered with this initiative.
When she decided to join a Chapel service that had just been announced overhead. Kristina shared with our UBC that she hoped she could gain something from the service that she might be able to share with others while making rounds. Kristina happened to be the only person initially speaking with the Chaplain when a female visitor arrived. Chaplin read a poem so that it would spark an open forum for conversation between the three of them.
Kristina said she could just tell by the look on the woman’s face that she needed something. The female visitor looked worn out, tired, and worried. They introduced themselves to one another, and the visitor began to share with Kristina. Kristina has that way of inviting people to share, and it's why she is our Unit's Compassion/Well Being Champion.
As they began to share their faith with one another, the visitor opened up to her about her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and how it came out of nowhere. Kristina said, “It was the most raw, open conversation” she had ever had, and that the visitor's strong faith was powerful even in the face of such a horrible situation. Kristina just sat with her and listened with kindness, empathy, and with an unbiased heart as the woman shared how her faith would heal her husband.
When asked about what Kristina did, she shared about her role assignment in BEST. The woman asked Kristina if she would visit her husband, and of course she was happy to follow up to check in on him, but this day Kristina’s skills of compassion were needed just where she was - and although she wasn’t with a patient, but rather a patients loved one, the time she spent with her was just as important and impactful. Nurses come with many different strengths and skills. Today, this woman, a visitor, wife, needed someone to listen, and Kristina took the time. Powerful.
When she decided to join a Chapel service that had just been announced overhead. Kristina shared with our UBC that she hoped she could gain something from the service that she might be able to share with others while making rounds. Kristina happened to be the only person initially speaking with the Chaplain when a female visitor arrived. Chaplin read a poem so that it would spark an open forum for conversation between the three of them.
Kristina said she could just tell by the look on the woman’s face that she needed something. The female visitor looked worn out, tired, and worried. They introduced themselves to one another, and the visitor began to share with Kristina. Kristina has that way of inviting people to share, and it's why she is our Unit's Compassion/Well Being Champion.
As they began to share their faith with one another, the visitor opened up to her about her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and how it came out of nowhere. Kristina said, “It was the most raw, open conversation” she had ever had, and that the visitor's strong faith was powerful even in the face of such a horrible situation. Kristina just sat with her and listened with kindness, empathy, and with an unbiased heart as the woman shared how her faith would heal her husband.
When asked about what Kristina did, she shared about her role assignment in BEST. The woman asked Kristina if she would visit her husband, and of course she was happy to follow up to check in on him, but this day Kristina’s skills of compassion were needed just where she was - and although she wasn’t with a patient, but rather a patients loved one, the time she spent with her was just as important and impactful. Nurses come with many different strengths and skills. Today, this woman, a visitor, wife, needed someone to listen, and Kristina took the time. Powerful.