Julia is an incredible nurse educator. Not only does she have her own job duties to worry about, but she selflessly takes time to help the day shift with taking care of patients. Anytime I have asked for her help, she drops what she is doing and does everything to make sure I and my patients are well taken care of. She helps the night shift by picking up extra shifts or staying late when staffing is tight. If there is a patient coding, or a critically ill patient, or even an agitated/aggressive patient, she is at the bedside. Her care for her floor nurses and love for patients seems unconditional and underappreciated.
Today, there was a patient who needed to go to the cath lab for ACS, and she was extremely anxious and uncooperative because her home was unlocked, and her dogs were not being watched. No one could calm her down. What did Julia do? She went into the room, said she would go to the patient's home to check on her dogs and to make sure the house was locked up.
Julia took the patient's house key with the patient's consent and drove to the house to make sure things were okay. The patient was calm after Julia talked with her and said she would go to her house, and the patient was able to get the treatment she desperately needed. If that is not a caring spirit, I don't know what is. And the thing is, she is an educator, not a floor nurse, and does incredible things like this every day and is happily willing to do so. We are blessed to have her!