Saluting a compassionate nurse at Tietz

Given the life and death consequences at stake in a hospital, one would expect office politics not to interfere in attending to the needs of critical and ailing patients, especially in a hospice unit.
Samantha Flemming, a nurse in the hospice unit at Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica, has been called an &#8220unheralded hero.”
Flemming, 26, a resident of Jamaica Estates, attended Vocational Educational and Extension Board School of Nursing, receiving her practical nursing (LPN) degree in 2003. Currently, she is working full-time at Tietz while also attending Queensborough College, to become a registered nurse.
Irwin Spark, a volunteer at Tietz said he considers Flemming a rare find. He was impressed by her disregard for patient assignment, when she helped him care for a patient who was not hers.
Spark was also moved by her tender care for his friend who was a patient at the hospice with pancreatic cancer. &#8220She goes out her of way,” he said. &#8220The entire hospice staff is superb, but Flemming was always alert. Pancreatic cancer is a death sentence.”
Flemming stands out at the hospice because of her compassion and understanding. In her own words &#8220nursing is not only about medication and treatment, it's about love.”
Flemming, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, was inspired to become a nurse from her own painful medical tragedy. She remains remorseful over not being able to help when her cousin's asthma attack - compounded with the poor resources of the country - resulted in his death at the age of only 19. She regrets not being there for him.
Also, Flemming's operation to remove an ovarian cyst at a Queens hospital whose name she won't reveal, also provided further impetus for her to embark on a career in nursing. &#8220I didn't like the care that I received,” she says. &#8220The staff made no eye contact with me, no one smiled, and everyone was so mean.”
Another defining moment cementing her vow to become a compassionate medical professional occurred when she was training as a nursing student in a hospital. A male patient was having trouble breathing; but when she informed the real nurse she was shocked to hear her reply, &#8220That's not my patient.” In the next instant, Flemming heard &#8220boom,” the patient collapsed to the ground and died. Flemming was incensed, &#8220how dare she say, that's not her job?”
She admits the job is tough and actually the most difficult aspect is not caring for the patients but emotionally supporting their families who are dealing with demise of a loved one. &#8220It's not easy to lose a wife, husband, or child,” she says.
Flemming considers no job beneath her, &#8220I put myself in other people's place,” she says, doing whatever she has to do to make them comfortable. It's no wonder her associates at the Tietz Center refer to Samantha Flemming as an &#8220unheralded hero.”