For the Fiftieth Anniversary of our College of Nursing, alumni, students, and faulty submitted stories about patient care experiences that provide a profound look into the "HeART of Nursing". The stories were organized into chapters based on the six verses of the college hymn, "I Would Follow Thee": Help and Lift Another, Who am I to Judge Another; My Brother's Keeper; Find in Thee My Strength, My Beacon; Stir My Heart with Love's Compassion; and Courage and Faith. The stories, minimally edited to improve scholarly merit, demonstrate a commitment to excellence, mutuality of caring, a sense of connectedness, and provide an insight into the vast richness of nursing intercactions with patients and families. The collection reflects caring, advocacy, service, relationships, spirituality, and exceptional commitment seen in nursing practice regardless of the setting, and demonstrates the value of diverse relationships and meaningful nurse/patient interactions. From the first story ("There is definitely an art to nursing and I worked hard at my new job so my canvas looked as colorful as everyone else's...I knew that I would somehow have to learn to use the color black") to the last story ("No one out there can possibly understand the drama behind the work we do. You smile when your significant other asks how your day went, and you answer, "It was just a routine critical care day'"), these memorable stories can be a valuable tool for educators as they integrate real life experiences into evidence-based education.
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