Nursing Under Pressure

As a Virtual Observation Monitor, I sometimes witness some troubling scenes. Today's troubling scene was also somewhat inspirational. We had a patient who had delirium and became angry and violent towards her care staff. The patient's RN, Allyson Dayton, was unfortunately taking the brunt of the patient's abuse. It's a shame the amount of violent behavior directed at care staff. I witnessed as this nurse was cussed at and punched in the arm (not to mention all of the attempts to slap, kick, and bite her). All the while, Nurse Allyson kept her cool and professionalism and continued to take good care of her patient. Nursing is clearly a calling, not a job to Nurse Allyson. She is an ideal example of what both courage and commitment look like, and Carilion is blessed to have someone like her on our team!