My husband had open heart surgery and was in the Cardiovascular ICU. On the second night of his stay, my step-daughter and I entered his room and he was making really loud noises and his breathing looked labored. Anthony, who was not my husband's nurse, entered the room and knew that I was upset. He put on a pair of gloves and took a blood sample to check my husband's gas levels. His levels came back from the lab as being very low. A mask was put on him and he immediately stopped making the noises and calmed down. I knew then that this nurse saw my husband as a person and not just a diagnosis. Anthony came by several times that evening to check on my husband and even though he was subjected to many questions he took the time to explain everything in terms we could understand.
At the beginning of the shift when Anthony was assigned to us and came to check on us he was surprised and confused to see that my husband had been restrained. I explained that my husband was experiencing confusion and was trying to pull out his leads and peeling the tape off of his skin causing it to tear. Anthony patiently explained to my husband why he was being restrained and told him what would happen if he continued to pull off his equipment. He did a great job explaining this without being harsh and when he was finished my husband (even being confused) looked at me and said: "I did this to myself".
I was very impressed with the entire ICU staff but in my opinion, Anthony was one of a kind. The dedication and passion for nursing skills and ability to connect with my husband and our family are worthy of recognition. Anthony is a compassionate nurse.