Moments That Matter – Joy Nelson, BSN, RN, CMSRN, and Nichole Bushweiler, RN
At M Health Fairview, showing you the love and respect you deserve is why we’re here. Ask around, and you may find that people get a little uncomfortable at the idea of showing or expressing love in a healthcare setting. And yet, at M Health Fairview, love is part of our practice model.
Meet Joy Nelson and Nichole Bushweiler, two of M Health Fairview’s registered nurses. Spend just a few minutes with these moment makers, and you’ll understand what we mean when we say that our hearts are at the center of what we do.
“Love in healthcare involves thinking broadly about the person — body, mind, and soul. We think about how to fix the health problem, but then we have to add the love piece into it,” said Nelson. “Nurses have a passion for healing the most vulnerable.” At M Health Fairview, they are encouraged to embrace that passion.
Bushweiler brings her own life experiences to bear on the care that she gives each day. “I’ve been through some illnesses with my children, and I felt that sometimes I wasn’t being heard,” Bushweiler said. “It’s a really uncomfortable feeling, not knowing what’s going on. I want my patients to know that they’re being heard and that I’m here to advocate for and support them.”
For Nelson and Bushweiler, nursing is a profound profession. They are not just caring for patients – they are helping people navigate a challenging season in their lives. To do that, M Health Fairview’s nurses draw on their reserves of empathy and compassion.
“I want to be able to communicate, to teach, to encourage, and to guide you, because love is what you need to heal,” said Nelson.
Beyond being an essential element of healing, love is the force that breaks down barriers, creating true bonds and forging connections. According to Bushweiler, “I’d like patients to know that I’m there for them. I’m going to treat them and their loved ones like they’re my own family: they’re my grandpa, they’re my children, they’re my mom. And I will always be there for them and do whatever I can to help them.”
In ways big and small, love is woven into the care Nelson and Bushweiler give their patients. Here is one example from Nelson’s own experience, one which she recalls every day:
It was a really busy shift that day, but I heard a patient calling my name in the hallway. When I rushed into her room, she told me that I was the only one who listened to what she wanted, and she wanted me to know that she was ready to die. She didn’t want me to leave the room at all, but I still had a very full and busy assignment. Throughout the morning, she kept calling out to me.
I said, “How about I come and have lunch with you? We will have extra, uninterrupted time together.” She waited patiently for me, so when it was time for my break I came in with my lunch and I talked with her, hugged her, held her. We called her family, who lived overseas, and she was able to tell everyone that she loved them. And as she held my hand, she made the decision that it was time for her to go. It was one of the most incredibly amazing experiences I could ever have had in my life. She had wanted me there for this moment. She chose me, because I was someone who had listened to her and had given her all the love I could.
Showing love may not be simple, but for us, it comes naturally. Nelson sums it up perfectly: “At the end of the day, people may not remember who I am, but they are definitely going to remember how I made them feel.”