In addition to carrying out his professional duties as an RN, I was especially impressed by Steve's sensitivity to my wife's and other family member's needs and concerns. His compassion and attentive care was far above average-just outstanding.
I have often thought about that last visit to ER on Christmas Eve. Almost immediately after initial assessment the doctor told me that it was uncertain if she would live through the night. What I wondered was whether Steven was selected as her nurse at random or because the doctor realized my wife's condition was terminal and he was assigned because of his special talent which I'm sure is recognized by ER staff. Over the past 15 years or so, I have been exposed to ER nurses many, many times. I can't fault the professional qualifications of any of the nurses but none have come close to Steven in caring sensitivity.
It was Steve's fine tuning and reaction to what was going on that night that showed his superior bedside manner. He went out of his way to locate and get hospital Chaplain Randy on the speaker phone to say words of comfort for my wife and family that were present. He located the chaplain through the personnel department at 11:00 at night. This was not the only example of his care and concern.
That was a special time for our family that we knew was coming, just not when, and he made a significant contribution to the event. My wife was aware she wouldn't make it and his caring presence was a comfort to her and made her passing easier. I don't see how he could have been more attentive to his own mother. It is impossible to quantify the value of that.