Julia Dushku, a BYU Nursing alumni working at Primary Children’s, found herself assigned to help a patient needing end-of-life care. Since she works as a floating nurse throughout the hospital, she is used to these types of shifts. What she didn’t know was that this experience would be one of the most memorable of her career.
Arriving at the ward, Julia learned that the patient was a young child who, due to life circumstances, had decided they wanted to pass away in hospital without their family. Because they were alone, frustrated, and scared, they were often difficult for the nurses.
Upon meeting the child, Julia realized they just needed someone to talk to in their loneliness. So, while providing comfort care and managing their pain medications, Julia would sit and talk about all the worries this patient had.
These conversations lasted her entire shift. At the end of their discussions about heaven and the afterlife, Julia noticed that the child was crying softly to themselves. Sensing a moment to connect, she asked if she could hug them. That comforting gesture softened the child and made them more at ease. She asked the kid if she could return during her other shifts. They agreed.
“I just felt like God put so much love in my heart for them, right when it was needed,” said Julia. “They weren't really receptive to anyone, and I was just a stranger. I think part of the vulnerability is that I cried. I cried with them.”
After the child passed away, Julia was encouraged by her coworkers to share the experience with one of their leaders in the department. This is what allowed her to be nominated for The DAISY Award. While most DAISY Awardees are nominated by the patient’s family, this special case occurred because the family was not in the picture.
While she had hoped to one day receive an award, she realized that is not what motivates her to give quality care to her patients. “I once got told that I care too much, and that is a real thing,” said Julia. “But I think it's important to care as much as you possibly can without it ruining your personal life. It's never about an award or the recognition [you might receive]. It really did, come down to just giving 100% of my heart.”
The statue provided by The DAISY Foundation, titled The Healer’s Touch, cemented Julia’s altruistic view of caring for every patient. “The Healer’s art is the practice. The Healer's touch is the act,” said Julia.
As advice to those who will soon graduate from the nursing program, Julia reemphasized the need for spiritually based guidance in caregiving. “There are so many times that I have been praying as I’ve been working or I’ve been guided by God,” she said. “They talk about it like your nurse sense, but I truly feel it is the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is a nurse's spidey sense to guide them to be better.”
Julia anticipates continuing as a float nurse in the hospital and having many more opportunities to give her whole heart to serve her patients.