Above and beyond

Torus Tammer

Bich Nguyen (pronounced Bik Win), a nurse in the intensive care unit

at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, will spend

tonight with her family.

But not the four children and husband who she comes home to every day.

Nguyen will spend this Thanksgiving with her critically ill patients.

“I consider my patients as family members, and it is a privilege for

me to spend time with them, whether I am working or not,” she said.

Nguyen isn’t kidding, either, when it comes to willingly giving her

patients much of her limited time.

A full-time mother and registered nurse, Nguyen works the demanding 7

p.m. to 7 a.m. shift so she can spend time at home with her kids. Yet

somehow she finds the time and energy to be at the hospital beyond her

work hours, said Elaine Singer, clinical manager of the hospital’s

intensive care unit.

“Bich’s dedication to the hospital and her patients is remarkable,”

Singer said. “Not only is she a skillful nurse, she makes this work a

priority and is available any time we need her.”

Although she came to the United States from Vietnam when she was 18,

Nguyen, who is now 44, still considers Thanksgiving to be a relatively

new tradition for her family and adds that they like to practice the

gratitude part of the holiday year-round.

Nevertheless, she said she is aware of the importance this age-old

tradition plays in the lives of those around her.

“I tend not to think of my need to celebrate on Thanksgiving because I

feel it’s more important, traditionally and culturally, for my colleagues

to be with their families,” Nguyen said.

When it comes to her patients, Nguyen admits that although they are

too ill to celebrate in a traditional manner, it is still necessary to

make an effort to acknowledge the special day because it helps their

morale.

The hospital prepares a special meal for them, and their families can

sit with them. Nguyen said patients are reminded it is a holiday and

encouraged to get their spirits up.

Nguyen said it is essential to give patients hope and for her to find

a way to connect with them.

Each person in intensive care is different, Nguyen said, so there is

no general approach.

“I just pay attention to the patients, and, sometimes, I can tell what

it is that I should do to connect with them,” she said. “Some patients, I

will tell them about my life; others, I will stand there and listen, just

letting them talk about their life and share moments with them.

“At times, I will just sit with them holding their hands,” she added.

“It can feel like we have known each other a lifetime. Sometimes I will

sing for them or make them laugh.”

Mark Reagan’s mother was a patient in intensive care on and off for

nine months. Suffering from respiratory problems, she recently lost her

battle and died Oct. 25.

Reagan said Nguyen, who was his mother’s nurse, was a gift from God,

and added that the patience and compassion she possessed was infinite.

“My mother was resistant to just taking any medicine, so, Bich would

take the time to explain to my mother exactly what medicines she was

taking and how they would affect her,” Reagan said. “She really gave me

comfort by sharing about losing her own mother, and, when my mother died,

she put her arm around me and wept with me.”

The nursing profession is not for everyone, Nguyen said. It is more of

a calling or a mission, rather then a career, she said.

“You cannot be OK in it,” Nguyen said. “You have to have that touch,

that caring and that compassion to make it work, otherwise you better get

out because you can do more harm than good.”

Looking back at her upbringing, one can understand a little more about

Nguyen. A survivor of war-torn Vietnam, Nguyen, who was 10 at the time,

was given the daunting task of taking care of her five younger siblings

after her mother died.

So by nature, as well as necessity, Nguyen agreed sheis a nurturer.

Chris Samera, a nurse and colleague at the hospital, said it is

amazing to watch Nguyen’s devotion and sincerity as she deals with

patients and their families.

“She will comfort a family with her words and by holding their hands

and just being very warm,” Samera said. “She is especially effective at

helping the families of patients feel safe because she will make them

feel that their loved one is going to be OK while in her care. This is

important because sometimes the family dynamic is more difficult to deal

with than the patient, especially in the holiday season.”

Although grateful, Nguyen said she almost feels embarrassed when

people acknowledge her work.

“It fulfills me just as much as it fulfills others,” Nguyen said.

“It’s not that selfless. I’m greedy too.”

In her eighth year at the hospital, Nguyen’s love for her patients, as

well as her profession, seems to be thriving. Nguyen attributes a lot of

her qualities to the lasting effect her mother held in her life.

She said it was her mother who planted the seed of kindness in her

heart. For that, she said she will be forever grateful.

As for the future, Nguyen said she would one day like to open her own

free clinic and volunteer her time to helping as many of the needy as she

can. But that day won’t happen until she has raised her children with the

same love, compassion and values she learned while growing up. Until

then, she will continue to care for her hospital family with all her

heart and said she will be there any time they need her.

“If my presence lifts my patients’ spirits up and brings them one hour

or one day closer to home, then you can count on me -- I’ll be there in

the blink of an eye,” she said.