November 2012
Leo
Evangelista
,
RN
Psychiatry
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco
,
CA
United States

 

 

 

I feel that I can count on Leo in any situation. He speaks with patients in a calm, yet firm and decisive voice and is often able to ameliorate any conflict before it escalates. In the psychiatric milieu, he is always quietly present and vigilant.

In one particular instance, Leo was able to work with a patient who was admitted to psychiatry and required a medical treatment. The patient was very paranoid and difficult to work with, but Leo was able establish a rapport with him and provide nursing care. Another time, Leo demonstrated his excellent medical assessment skills and was able to facilitate a transfer of a psychiatric patient to a medical floor when the patient showed early signs of medical decompensation.

In addition to the excellent care that Leo provides to patients, he is an integral part of the psychiatry staff. He helped to develop the protocol used for patients receiving ECT and supports patients undergoing therapy. Leo serves as a Magnet champion in the psychiatry department and helps to coordinate staff functions. He is also key in welcoming nurses that are new to the department. As his manager describes, Leo is "the glue that holds that staff together".