Nurses are trained to save and maintain lives, but the job sometimes requires delivering compassionate care in end-of-life situations. Tammy Switzer, RN, MS, FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner with the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) team, provided such comfort to a cancer patient, with severe lymphoma, and his family recently.

He was admitted to the hospital with liver failure and became so ill that he could not make his own medical decisions. The patient's wife, who had spent most of her time with the hospital's outpatient providers, had a hard time developing trust with the inpatient team. She had trouble connecting with the palliative care team and avoided making difficult end-of-life decisions, such as whether or not to resuscitate the patient.

In response, Switzer spent several hours with the patient's wife, listening to her remembrances of him and her fears for the future. Switzer also explained what she might expect if her husband were transferred to an ICU and placed on a ventilator. The conversations weren't new, but because Tammy had spent quality time with the patient and his wife during the night she was able
to make these decisions with someone she trusted. Tammy displayed extreme compassion by spending time with the patient's wife during her time of crisis. Because she spent quality time with the patient and his wife, she developed a trusting relationship which allowed for grieving and support.