Cindy is an Extraordinary Nurse in many ways and demonstrates her commitment to her patients and staff each and every day she works. During the COVID Pandemic, she demonstrated this commitment at the highest level being in charge of a unit that surged each day over 40 patients to care for patients ill with this virus. The unit had to transition in many ways to meet the needs of these very sick and frightened patients. She was strong and determined to support not only the regular staff on her unit but for the staff that came to assist her to meet the needs of the surged capacity of the unit. Cindy used her calm demeanor and great organizational skills to prioritize the needs of the patients by acuity and ensure that each patient was receiving the care they needed. She worked in collaboration with the physicians, RTs, Rapid Response Teams, and her peers to provide the highest level of care to these complex patients. Her normal 10 hour days often turned into 12 -14 hour days and she did this without complaint knowing that a job had to be done. Many days she had a full assignment of patients and was also the charge nurse trying to make sure every nurse was supported - she did this with ease and did not break a sweat. She knew her job and responsibility and got it done without question.
I am writing this nomination as I had the privilege of covering her unit for more than a week and had a great view of an exceptional nurse in practice. During one of our many rapid responses, I watched as she not only focused on the patient's medical needs but also the patient's psychological needs for support and compassion as she translated into Spanish everything that was going on during the incident. She held her hand and provided support, and did not leave her side until she was calm and comfortable.
Cindy is kind and compassionate - she also made sure that all the patients on the floor communicated with their families through the IPADs and phones, provided updates, and hope for recovery. She was also available to all staff as a resource, or just a shoulder to cry on, or a friend to be there when it got to be just "too much" - she helped the staff bond together and get them through the worst days. During this time, she set the standards high, making sure all the patients got the best care, kept the physicians and care team - social workers/case managers updated- working in collaboration - planning for a safe discharge.
She had a full plate but kept her eye on the end result - we need to get our patients well and back home. To do this, she was flexible- changing her hours to accommodate the needs of the unit, kept the morale of the unit high as the nurses and other staff members felt overwhelmed and sometimes just frightened. She kept everyone optimistic and hopeful that their hard work would pay off in the end. She built a team from all the help that was sent and made everyone that arrived to assist know they were an important part of the Team. She made a plan to deliver excellent care and worked with her Nurse Manager, Educator, and peers to ensure that each day they reviewed the plan for the day - as each day brought new challenges.
In the end, she was successful and with pride, she can look back and know that through her selflessness and commitment to excellent patient care that she truly made a difference in the lives of so many patients and if she doesn't know. Cindy is truly an extraordinary nurse.