I had a perforated colon surgery. My recovery was in the MICU. I was there for 3 weeks. Nurse Brittany went above and beyond to take excellent care of me. She took care of my needs and brought my health back. Her performance was incredible, the VA is so lucky to have her as a nurse; we need many more nurses who are like Brittany.

I will never forget the great nurse who took care of me. She got my spirits up and made me walk to get my strength back. She would stay late past her shift to walk me when no one else would. I always knew that I could rely on her for anything that I needed. She always had a sense of when I needed her. I never had to press the call light when she was my nurse. She was always there, helping me use the restroom, walking, and taking care of my other personal needs. She often checked on me and said hi even when I wasn’t her patient, which made me feel better because I felt like I always had someone there for me. She felt like family to me by the time I was leaving. I always knew that she had other patients that she was taking care of but I always felt like I was a priority and that I was never placed on the backburner I could ask her for anything and she would always help me with a smile on her face. She knew me like the back of her hand; when different teams would come to my room, she was always advocating for me. She knew my wants and needs and communicated to the doctors when I needed help or when she felt that something wasn’t just right.

It’s especially hard for me to communicate since I have a tracheostomy, and people don’t always understand. She was patient with me and always made an effort to try to understand what I was saying. Other people would give up and just have me write things out when I wanted to use my voice. Don’t get me wrong, the other nurses were great, but no one else took the time to understand me and my wants and needs. She just always knew what was going to happen before it even happened. Brittany was my motivator, always walking the unit to gather my strength. She would encourage me to sit on the side of the bed. She wanted me to get better. She is what got my spirits up and what helped heal me. Every time I have an appointment I stop by the MICU to stop and say hello to Brittany, she will drop everything and come running to me to greet me and ask how I am. I know that whenever I come back, I can always stop by and say hi, and it always makes my day better.

I was at an appointment recently, I wasn’t feeling the best, but Brittany saw me in the hallway, dropped everything, and gave me a big hug. Seeing her instantly made me feel better. She always makes me feel like I have a friend. She truly represents what it means to be an excellent nurse. She is not just a nurse; she was more than a nurse. Most importantly, Brittany was my nurse, and I will never forget her or the amazing care she gave me while I was at the VA.