Chris Stallings is a great listener, compassionate, courteous, and respectful of her patients and families. Chris is empathetic and easily develops relationships with her patients and their families. Chris explains things in a way that her patients and families understand and can dole out "tough love" to help certain patients and families understand their diagnosis, medications, or plan of care. Chris easily transitions caring for a wide span of patients requiring intensive care nursing to palliative/end of life care. Chris always comes to work prepared to provide the best care of her patients and their families.

One specific example that stands out is a patient who was hospitalized for 60 days. Chris developed a very close relationship with this patient and his wife. The patient had severe heart failure, an extensive hospital stay, and was quickly listed on the heart transplant list in hopes to receive a heart. Chris routinely cared for the patient and his wife. If Chris wasn't assigned to the patient she would find time out of her day to say hello to him and make sure he had everything he needed.

One day Chris went to check in with the patient and he had expressed to Chris what a rough night he had and still wasn't feeling well. Chris went to the gift shop and bought the patient a few things to try and cheer him up; one of them being a "grumpy cat" door hanger. The patient laughed after he received these gifts and proudly displayed his "grumpy cat" hanger on his IV pole that he continually had to roll around with him. Chris always has a way to get a patient to smile, no matter how tough of a day they may be having.

The patient continued to remain on the heart transplant list and was beginning to lose hope if he would receive a heart at all. Chris made a point to check on the patient every single shift she worked and try to keep his morale up and let him know that everything happens for a reason. The patient and his wife voiced to Chris how much they missed their "fur kids" since he had been hospitalized for so long. Chris had helped arrange on September 14th for the patient's wife to bring their "fur kids" for a visit. Chris helped coordinate with the patient, his wife, and "kids" a time for a scheduled visitation. After being able to see and hold his "kids", this helped increase the patient's mood immediately. That evening after his visit with his "kids", the patient received the call he had been waiting for. He was going to receive his new heart.

After the patient received his heart transplant, he was moved to another unit for immediate post-op recovery. Chris would go to the other unit and see the patient almost every day that she worked to let him know how well he was doing and to try and keep his outlook positive. Just two days after being discharged from the hospital, the patient was re-admitted to 6 Ross for complications. Chris was here to greet him.

The patient was discharged a week later. The patient comes up to the unit after his clinic appointments and always asks to see if Chris is working. He always greets her with a hug and thanks her for the great care she provided him. They talk about their families and the great baked goods his wife makes. Chris makes a positive impact on each of her patients and this is just one patient that Chris has made a lifelong impact on.