Bloomington DAISY Caleb Freeman's goal is to connect, empower and support patients

“The stress of hospitalization is very mentally taxing. To me, the kindest thing you can offer during a stressful time is connection.”

DAISY Award winner Caleb Freeman, RN, is part of the IU Health Bloomington 4 East team and has spent the past year on the cardiovascular part of the unit, which specializes in cardiology, critical care and cardiothoracic surgery.

He felt called to be a nurse since a health careers program in high school and went back to school in 2023 to begin that path. After graduation, he took his first job with the Bloomington 4 East team.

“I’d like to express my gratitude to all the incredibly talented nurses, leaders and providers I get to work with on a daily basis,” shared Freeman. “They have gone out of their way to help me grow and continuously set an example of excellence.”

He adds that he feels fortunate for the team he has at work, but says the concept of team doesn’t end with coworkers.

“Ultimately, the nurse/patient relationship is more of a partnership than anything else. We both must trust that we have the same common goal and want the best possible outcome.”

To accomplish that, Freeman focuses on providing comprehensive, holistic care by making strong connections and meeting patients where they’re at, helping them feel seen, heard and cared about beyond their diagnosis. Overall, his goal is to help his patients feel empowered and know he’s in their corner.

“For many of the patients I work with, they likely have just gone through one of the biggest procedures of their lifetime,” he said. “While the time we share may be a small chapter of their healing journey; my hope is that it serves as a source of positivity and comfort during a difficult time.”

That mindset has made a big impact on those he cares for.

A patient’s spouse wrote the following in their DAISY Award nomination, “Caleb provided the full scope of skilled nursing from physical to mental care...He quickly gained patient confidence and trust, and he made an extra effort to ensure she understood what was happening and why. Having done that, he gained my own confidence and provided the reassurance I needed to understand early recovery.”

Freeman’s other nomination came directly from a patient, who shared, “Caleb, my day nurse, made all the difference…he reassured me that I would be taken care of and that together we would handle anything that came up. His reassurance put me right at ease, which is so very important for patient recovery.”