I found the nursing/nurses aide staff particularly compassionate and helpful. It's hard to have to ask for the smallest thing and they were always reassuring and never irritated that I had to ring that bell one more time! Some of the staff in particular really took their time to talk to me in a very human way. Even though they were busy, they never made me feel rushed. They were comfortable talking about things like post-operative depression after a triple bypass. They really helped me feel less frightened, less concerned as my roller-coaster of emotions rode through those first days. I enjoyed the aides who took me on walks and appreciated them also answering my questions and sharing about themselves as we walked, which was so humanizing for me. Not to mention, it got me outside myself and my pain and made the walking so much easier. And their encouragement felt genuine, not patronizing or rote. The whole feeling of that cardiac unit was that they were all cheering for all of us in our recovery. This helped me relax, feel that no matter what kind of recovery bumps (and there were some), I was in good hands. I was safe. Cannot ask for anything better than that.  
GSH CICU