I had a sick patient with a psych history come in who was visibly very anxious and distressed about being in the emergency department. He initially refused all medical interventions and treatment and would not allow us to stick him for an IV or put him on any of our medical monitoring equipment. Paytyn came in and asked how she could help me, I told her the situation, and she immediately jumped in to help.

She sat next to my patient at his level and asked what was going on and what he was anxious about. She provided verbal reassurance and empathy towards my patient. The patient was not very cooperative or communicative, but had remarked to her that his back was hurting him and would not convey any further information than that. Paytyn immediately offered to give him a back rub to see if that would help his pain. His demeanor instantly changed, and his level of trust towards the staff increased.

She talked him through everything that we were doing and helped to calm his anxiety with personal touch, emotional reassurance, and empathy. This was not even her patient, and she had a full patient load herself! I really felt that this level of care towards my patient demonstrated the kind of wonderful nurse she is. I would also like to point out that shortly before this patient interaction, she helped take care of another patient who was belligerent and verbally abusive towards staff. Paytyn's demeanor did not deviate, and she spoke to this other patient with the same level of professionalism while remaining calm and respectful.

Her ability to remain calm and level with emotionally complex patients is astounding. Paytyn is such a valuable resource and team player for the emergency department and treats every single patient with patience, kindness, and empathy.