Dear nursing student,
Undoubtedly through nursing school you will learn vital clinical skills, develop a deep understanding of the human body and mind, and foster a solid foundation for patient care, among many other things. However, you may not know that you will also gain confidence and mentorship through your program. Most importantly, you will learn the concepts you need to be a good nurse and how to be a truly exceptional nurse.
Throughout the 24 years I have practiced nursing, I have always understood that nurses and health providers have a unique ability to make or break an experience for the patients and families we care for. What we get to do is an honor. It is a gift to be there for someone’s very best day and even more so on their very worst day. Although I knew all of that to be true, it took being on the other side of the health system to truly transform everything I knew about nursing, to reveal the real power and impact of being an exceptional nurse.
Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer, and my youngest child at the time was 18 months old. I was sitting in the waiting room with my husband and mom for my first chemotherapy appointment when a nurse came out and said I had to reschedule my appointment. I showed her my form that confirmed I indeed had an appointment and she then said, “Well we must cancel and reschedule because your doctor did not send your orders.” So of course, I said, “Certainly there’s a way to get those orders.” After much back and forth, she ultimately got the orders she needed to do her job, and I went back for my chemo appointment. In that moment, all I could think of was how many patients had been in this very position and had been sent away after taking a day off from work, paying for parking, walking a mile, and garnering up enough courage to begin chemo—all because they didn’t know they had a choice, a voice, or simply did not know better. Choose to be an exceptional nurse.
So, I went back for my chemo, and they gave me their very best nurse, named Marco. Marco came in like a ball of fire and told me all the things I needed to know about chemo, side effects, what to expect, how to avoid complications, and what the next few weeks would look like for me. He walked me through the process of every medication he hung and took down. He wanted to know my story and what brought me there. Choose to be an exceptional nurse.
For every future appointment, of course, I’d ask for Marco. Sometimes I got him, and sometimes I got other nurses. The other nurses were good, safe, and competent; they did what any prudent nurse would do. They came in, they hung the meds, they came in, they unhooked the meds, and gave discharge instructions. They were nice enough. But I started to notice a trend. Over time, I recognized that during the appointments when Marco was my nurse, I felt different, and my overall experience was different. I would go home, cook dinner, and I felt good. When I left my appointments when the other nurses cared for me, I didn’t feel as well. I felt a bit down, and I truly felt like a cancer patient. I’d take a nap and maybe even miss work the next day. What was so different between Marco and the other nurses? All the nurses completed the necessary tasks, were kind enough, and checked all the boxes. Over time, I realized the difference was that Marco created a real connection. He chose to be an exceptional nurse.
Marco’s patient education was paramount to my care. When you educate your patients, you accomplish four critical things:
1. You create a meaningful space for connection.
2. You empower your patient to take better care of themselves and their families.
3. You allow the patient to be an active part of the healing process.
4. You validate the experience for your patient. (This is perhaps the most profound impact.)
In doing this, you show your patient you care about their outcomes.
I know you may be wondering if you will complete your program knowing enough to be an exceptional nurse but know it’s a choice you make every single day. Never forget you can choose to be a Marco, or you can choose to be like all the other nurses, whose names I simply do not recall. Choose to be an exceptional nurse. Your patients deserve it.
Sincerely,
Jacquelyn Svoboda
Jacquelyn Svoboda, DNP, APRN, WHNP-C, is the director of educational innovations and an associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Nursing. She is a member of Sigma’s Alpha Delta Chapter.