Honoring the Best – Nina Carusillo

In about a month’s time, we will gather at the Boston Convention Center to recognize and honor some of the most compassionate caregivers in New England.  The occasion is our annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner– named after our founder, Ken Schwartz, who wrote before his death from lung cancer in 1995 that the compassionate care he received from his caregivers is what “made the unbearable bearable.”  His goal was to make sure all patients receive compassionate care.

Ken would have been proud of the five caregivers we will be honoring on November 17^th because they represent the kind of caregivers who meant so much to him.  They include:

• A nursing assistant who cares for those at the end of life;
• A physician assistant who cares for women with cancer;
• A pediatric cardiologist who cares for children with congenital heart problems;
• A neonatal nurse who cares for the most vulnerable newborns; and
• A nurse who cares for patients anxiously awaiting heart transplants.

For the next several weeks, we will be profiling the five finalists for our Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award® – beginning today with Nina Carusillo, a physician assistant at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven in Connecticut.

Nina comes from a family of nurturers, although she was the first in her family to become a professional caregiver.  In her current role, she not only provides direct patient care to women being treated for gynecologic cancers but also serves as a mentor and teacher to medical residents and fellows.  According to one, “Nina has influenced every resident over the past eight years, many of whom have become gynecologic oncologists and who approach patient care with the deepest commitment, in part because of Nina’s influence.”

Nina’s favorite part of the day is when she makes what she calls her “bonding rounds” in the afternoon, a time to be fully present for her patients.  “I am a constant figure for the women of 14 North.  I am the person they see for every cycle of chemotherapy and every inpatient admission,” she says.  “My goal every day is to engage them in their medical care, and make their environment a safe place so their experience is less frightening.  I make an effort to be readily accessible for patients and families whenever they may need me, even when it’s among the chaos.  I am able to offer both medical and emotional care, and at times must know when to separate the two.”

How does Nina define compassionate care?  “To me, it is simple and effortless,” she says.  “It is a hand held, unprovoked laughter, a mutual understanding, or an unspoken word.  At the end of the day, I see so many individuals provide wonderful compassionate care.  I am honored that people thought me worthy.”

The Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award is made possible in part by the generosity of AstraZeneca, a leading pharmaceutical company. 

What would you say to Nina if you met her?  How do you define compassionate care?