The faculty members in our Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing received a touching message last month from a 2009 graduate. She recounted the emotions surrounding the death of a patient one night while she was on duty in the intensive care unit of a hospital, and the aftermath:
"I received a beautiful card from the family thanking me for my talent and skill, and for taking care of them, as well as their husband and father. This is when I realized what Mrs. Moffett meant by 'courage to care.' I think it is so easy for us as nurses to say that we get used to death; we work in an ICU so it is bound to happen at some point or another. But the truth is that it gets harder every time. It is ok for us to cry when a patient dies or go to the memorial service or funeral. Showing emotion versus remaining stoic is sometimes a good thing."
The world is better because Ida V. Moffett--and the thousands who have followed her--were equipped with the courage to care.