Nathaniel Powers
December 2018
Nathaniel
Powers
,
RN
Multispecialty
Danbury Hospital
Danbury
,
CT
United States

 

 

 

Each and every time I have caught an interaction with Nathaniel and the patients within my unit, he has always maintained a composed and nurturing demeanor. He is able to respond to high-stress level situations, and create an environment that is calming in nature. In one particular case, I witnessed him go above and beyond multiple times for a patient who truly needed the encouragement to get through his stay. We had a patient who stayed with us for over 60 days in the Progressive Care Unit. He had a couple of transfers to other units during his stay, but ultimately always ended up back with us. It was always heavy on my mind that this patient had been enclosed in our hospital walls for this amount of time, previously being very active before this admission.
One day I got a call from Nathaniel, stating that he wanted to take the patient outside. I immediately said that I would love nothing more than this, but that I was not at the hospital at this time to provide much help with such an endeavor. He did not let that stop him; he proceeded to talk to the right people and actually made it happen. When I rounded with the patient the following day, his face was glowing. The patient could not even put into words his expression of gratitude toward Nathaniel, who took the time out of his day to carry out an act like this. It helped him continue to maintain a positive mindset and gave him the motivation to get better by breathing that fresh crisp air.
Near the end of October, again upon my rounds with the patient, I found a creatively colored pumpkin embellished with a nurse cap at his bedside. We both laughed while talking about the pumpkin and it brought a smile to the patient's face. He went on tell me that the same multi-specialist who brought him outside, once again dedicated his own time by buying the patient the pumpkin and craft supplies to decorate it in the spirit of Halloween that was approaching.
In the darkest times of this patient's stay, when he felt like he may never leave, it was the nature of the acts carried out by Nathaniel Powers that made this patient feel like a person and provided him with the motivation to get better. He did not have any obligations to keep visiting this patient, nor do what he did in the role that he is in, and that is why I believe that Nathaniel is a true DAISY Nurse.