Jaclyn Rowbotham

My Proud Story...

I was working as a new nurse, about six months out of school on CW4. If you spoke to anyone in the hospital, they would say that CW4 was one of the more challenging med/surg floors. The patient acuity ranged from high to low, as well as there was a mix of different clinical diagnoses on the floor. Working on this floor, you definitely had to be flexible and many of the nurses relied on each other as a team to ensure the patients were well cared for.

One day in mid-December, I came in for my shift and I received a report about a patient who was having a rough night after having been admitted a day prior. He was alone, no family in the area and he was a retired Bethlehem Steel worker. I understood that he was sort of challenging and stubborn.

I took care of him for many days even on days when he was not in my assignment. I made a point to visit him multiple times throughout the day and I did little things for him (things I may not have seen as important at the time, getting him soda or a blanket, taking five to 10 minutes to talk with him, and teaching him about his disease process).

I was disappointed that I never saw him the day he was discharged.

But on Christmas Day, when I walked out of a patient’s room, there he was standing, holding a gift for me in his hand. He seemed tearful and told me I was a great nurse and that he appreciated everything I did for him. We hugged and we wished each other luck. I never saw him again, but at that point the gratification of being a nurse was so fulfilling.

I opened the wrapped box he gave me and inside was a small bracelet. He had written a personalized note that read: “Thank you for being a great nurse.”

Jaclyn Rowbotham, MSN, RN
Quality Improvement Clinical Coordinator
Hired in 2008