title: A personal reflection: going above and beyond for a patient in his last moments.
abstract: Death is common in the intensive care unit. Some patients are surrounded by family; others, with only nurses and physicians by their side. This article describes the experience of a critical care nurse caring for a patient in his last hours and in the hours after his death. These extraordinary measures left her with a sense of peace and pride in being an intensive care unit nurse.
authors.affiliation: Haley Wilmoth, BSN, RN, PCCN, is an intensive care unit staff nurse at Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina. Donald D. Kautz, RN, PhD, CRRN, CNE, ACNS-BC, is associate professor of nursing at The University of North Carolina Greensboro.
authors.forename: Haley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wilmoth
authors.forename: Donald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Kautz
mesh_terms: D001293:Attitude to Death; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital