Beyond The Badge

Emily Fleischman, RN

Mount Sinai West

For Emily Fleischman, nursing is about more than delivering excellent clinical care. It's about creating comfort, trust, and human connection during life's most difficult moments. Emily was recently recognized by a patient's family member, who shared how her compassion, empathy, and thoughtful communication helped guide their family through the loss of a loved one. One family member reflected on how Emily's guidance not only brought peace during their mother's final days but also helped ease years of lingering guilt related to a previous family loss. They described her as someone who instinctively understood what patients and families needed, providing both emotional support and compassionate education when it mattered most.

Beyond her exceptional bedside care, Emily actively contributes to advancing nursing practice by helping establish a unit council focused on collaboration and continuous improvement. Her commitment to excellence, empathy, and leadership exemplifies the culture of care that defines Mount Sinai.

Manager Recognition: “Emily has consistently received letters and compliments recognizing her exceptional empathy and compassionate approach to patient care. Her ability to connect with patients and families creates a supportive environment that promotes comfort, trust, and healing. In addition to her unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality care, she has taken initiative to help establish a unit council, demonstrating her dedication to advancing nursing practice and fostering collaboration among her peers. And seeing her smile when you come on to the unit brightens the day."

Patient Letter:  Hi my mother passed the day before yesterday after being in your hospital for about a week. All the nursing staff were incredible, but Emily was unbelievable, helping us during this very challenging time! She made a difference in so many ways. 

She had an innate ability to know exactly what type of interaction we wanted at any given time. For example, when we needed some levity somehow she just knew, and would bring us water and swear it was vodka (okay had to be there, but ...). The one and only time I did not want ANY interaction, even someone saying are you okay or nodding in my direction, she was able to detect this somehow and for the first and only time passed our door without acknowledging me in any way. This was exactly what I wanted and have no idea how she knew! And she even gave a hug when needed. And I was so touched when she said she prayed for my family the night before, it brought tears to my eyes, because I knew how sincere and deeply felt everything she said was. 

She also did such a great job of explaining things in a compassionate way. For example when we decided to stop giving my mom liquids, she immediately explained that this did not mean we were causing my mom to die of thirst but instead we were actually increasing her comfort. This made me feel so much better about my mom's situation. But it went way beyond that, because about 8 years ago my father was in hospice and no one had explained this. It has bothered me for years, thinking that we let him essentially die of thirst. So Emily not only helped me feel so much better about my mom's situation but alleviated something that I felt intensely guilty about for years. 

She would also talk about how much she loved her job, which for some reason made my experience better. And no matter how busy, she was she would always give me that wonderful smile when she passed by. I can't overstate how much all of this helped in what was one of the most difficult periods of my life. I hope she (and you) realize the difference she makes, and how much we appreciate it!