Tommy is a Ph.D. Candidate in nursing research at Emory University, a Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Acute Care (CPNP-AC), and a real-world problem-solver. Direct nursing care is about applying nursing knowledge—which includes understanding human experiences and motivations in the context of suffering—to assess, diagnose, intervene in ways that meet the needs and wishes of patients and their families.