Patient pep talks strengthen bond with nurse Brady Gibson

Brady Gibson, RN, prides himself on his ability to connect on a personal level with all his patients, and one patient recently left an impression that extended into a strong bond. 

“I definitely talk a lot to all of my patients, but there was one recent transplant patient who I really connected with,” Gibson explains. “He feels sort of like a family member to me now.”  

“This patient was one of those extra-special situations where we related on such a personal level that I figured I could learn so much from him,” Gibson says of the patient he met during his time within the Stem Cell Transplant & Cellular Therapies Unit.  

Their bond didn’t escape the patient’s spouse. In fact, she says the holistic-oriented care that Gibson provided played a pivotal role in helping to sustain her husband through his care. “Professionalism is important in health care,” she says, “but focusing on the mental/humanistic side of things is just as important.” 

Blending professional care with a personal touch 

Despite being early in his nursing career—having started in 2021—Gibson grasps the ebb and flow of the routine. Sometimes patients need a pep talk; other times they just need someone to listen. 

Both ways of care  have proved vital to Gibson’s patients. With the transplant patient, for example, each tactic had its place in lifting a patient’s spirits. 

“There was a point when he had all but given up hope, and Brady stood over his bed in the middle of the night and gave him a pep talk of why he should continue to fight,” she says. “Another time Brady said, ‘I am 23 years old, I love my job and my life, but what are some words of wisdom from your experiences in life that could make me a better person?’ My spouse confessed his faith, and Brady took the time to listen.” 

For Gibson, it’s about respecting the challenges his patients face, and their individual experiences.  

“There’s something going on with everybody. So, it’s a matter of knowing what that is, knowing where they are in the process, and knowing how sick they are. We usually have a pretty good gauge on that,” Gibson says. 

In essence, he’s talking about being adaptable, knowing that it’s what’s best for the patient, and himself.  

“There are so many emotions and things that happen every day,” Gibson says. “You ride waves on the unit depending on what’s happening. You just have to stay grounded and keep moving forward.”