My Specialty
Med-Surg Nursing, Tracy Nguyen, Dignity St. Mary Medical Center
Going the extra mile to make patients’ hospital stays a little better
Tracy Nguyen, RN, BSN, PHN 6B
Med-Surg Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center
Long Beach
Tell us a little about your nursing career.
I work on a very busy med-surg floor in a Level II trauma center. I was hired right out of nursing school. I haven’t even thought about doing something different. I’m a person of habit: Once I find an environment where I love the people, I’ll stay there for a long time. I fell in love with the people here.
What do you find most satisfying about it?
I sleep most peacefully when I can go out of my way to help a patient feel just a little better. I love that I have the power to do that. Nobody wants to be in the hospital, even for something minor — it’s the last place anyone would choose to spend their time — so helping them forget about their illness or injury for a moment, share a laugh, or just bond as human beings is gold.
My personal mission is to do everything in my power to treat our patients like honored guests. I want my patients to be glad they came to St. Mary. It does take a little bit longer to complete all your tasks when you take the time to talk and share a moment with each patient, but it’s worth it. Those few moments can mean so much.
What is the patient population like?
A large percentage of our patients are homeless or living in poverty. The homeless population often feel they don’t matter, that no one cares. It’s easy to say, “I actually do care,” but those are just words. I show them I care through my actions. If they can feel it, I don’t have to say anything — they just know. My patients will sometimes tell me very personal things. It feels good when they feel open enough to trust me with intimate stories. It makes me so emotional.
Is there a patient story that illustrates your experience?
We have a patient with a certain type of cancer. They’ve been undergoing chemotherapy, and are frequently in and out of our unit for various things. Recently, they were admitted because they needed a port replacement. Things were medically complicated, and by the time the patient got to me, they were on a real emotional rollercoaster.
I felt so bad for them, and even though it was the weekend, I wanted to see how we could expedite things to get them home as soon as possible. I went to my supervisor and explained the situation, and we got it done. Once the procedure was over, the patient was so happy.
I waited until I left the room to allow myself to feel the emotion of the situation, but I really needed to cry. It’s such an honor to do something like that for a patient.
What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical skills in your role?
Since I’ve been on the same floor for so long, my skills are second nature by now, but I’m always trying to improve. I get to learn by teaching and by precepting nursing students and new nurses.
Skills can always be learned — it can seem impossible, like a preschooler learning to tie their shoes, but eventually it clicks. Your heart, your caring, and your passion for helping others are something you have to find deep within yourself.
I can teach new nurses how to perform any manual task or technical skill, but I can’t teach them how to love if they don’t have that passion in them. With the first person I precepted, I could feel her kind heart right away. With others, I just have to hope they’ll develop their feeling nature over time.
I teach everyone I precept to take a step back and try to see where the patient is coming from. I’d like to see all nurses slow down and pay more attention to the patient’s back story, not just to diagnoses and labs.
Everyone at work thinks I’m so nice, but there are times when I need to stand up for myself, a coworker, or even a patient. I do whatever I feel is just in any given situation, and I want my colleagues to do the same.
What does the future hold for you?
Right now, where I am is the best place for me. If I transferred to a less busy floor, I wouldn’t feel useful. I truly can’t think of anywhere else I’d be happier, and I can’t imagine having made a better career decision. I’m exactly where I need to be.
KEITH CARLSON, RN, BSN, NC-BC, has worked as a nurse since 1996 and offers expert professional coaching at www.nursekeith.com.
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