I was emergently admitted to a unit that I had once worked on for almost a decade, the SNICU. I had a known uterine arteriovenous malformation that had ruptured at work, thankfully. I was taken immediately to the ED, where several IVs were placed and where I was eventually fluid resuscitated due to the amount of bleeding. I was then whisked off to IR for embolization, and later admitted to SNICU postoperatively. Although a familiar environment, being on the other side of healthcare was incredibly uncomfortable, considering the array of patient I had cared for in the past in SNICU. I was wheeled through the all too familiar SNICU doors into my old home bay, bay 1. I was greeted by Anna once in my room. Relief and a sense of calmness overcame me when I saw her and realized she was going to be my nurse. Anna is someone whom I looked up to as a staff nurse, she was incredibly intelligent, clinically sound, not easily excitable and someone who advocated fiercely for her patients. As a nurse manager, Anna was someone I wanted to clone, because of all of the aforementioned characteristics—such a solid clinician, great leader, and mentor. 

Throughout the next day in SNICU, I was under Anna’s watchful eye. She was in my room immediately when my friend went out to the nurse’s desk to relay to her that I was having some more bleeding. She communicated this change with the APPs, the three of them were in my room within seconds, assessing me, rechecking my vitals, and re-ordering more labs. Her urgency on the matter and thoroughness in her assessment, again eased my fears; I knew Anna was going to handle whatever came our way. 

Anna was there when I got up to the chair for the first time post-procedure. She kindly ordered me OB items from another floor and assisted in talking me through sitting on the side of the bed to catch my bearings before I got up---something I had done a million times over for my patients and not thought much about it…it’s just something you ‘do’—being on the other end, as a patient it is exactly what I needed. While up in the chair, Anna noticed my heart rate change on the central monitors and came in to check on me, noticing the activity was no longer being tolerated—she got me Zofran and assisted me back to bed. Once back in bed, she pulled the curtain and allowed me to rest and recover, stating, "Let me know if you want me to not allow any visitors"…again, showcasing her ability to care for the entire human and putting her patients’ needs first. 

In every way, Anna was my ‘protector’. From clinician to physical therapist, to bouncer and educator, she showed the many hats nurses wear throughout a shift. All of this took the load off of me, having to worry about my blood pressure, my heart rate, or whether or not I was bleeding again. I knew Anna had it. Anna is an expert in her field; she can anticipate, is an effective communicator, involves families in rounds and education, and advocates for her patients’ needs. These are skills that are at the core of what nursing is…. It’s an art. Mastering these skills for your patients during their most vulnerable periods of time has the greatest impact on the patient experience. Anna has mastered the art of nursing, and it’s our patients that she cares for that benefit. 

I am forever grateful for the care, professionalism, and compassion Anna showed during my most fragile state.