August 2026 Honoree
Maritza Rafael-Carrillo, RN
Maritza is always a bright and bubbly presence on the unit. She will take any patient, no matter how challenging, because she loves a challenge and loves to help our patients.
Maritza is also bilingual and speaks Spanish. When the night shift came on and we faced an extremely critical patient situation with a Spanish-speaking patient, Maritza immediately stepped into the situation to act as a translator, provide emotional support, and assist as a nurse in any way she could. She was able to streamline our patient assessment while navigating the emergency, but also assisted the patient by staying with her in CT and talking her through it, holding her hand until she was under anesthesia, and being there when the patient woke up in PACU – all despite not being the primary nurse for this patient, but just an extra set of hands on the unit.
Maritza is a shining example of what a nurse should be: empathetic, intelligent, supportive, and willing to lend a hand whenever and wherever they can. We are very lucky we had Maritza with us that shift.
Maritza is also bilingual and speaks Spanish. When the night shift came on and we faced an extremely critical patient situation with a Spanish-speaking patient, Maritza immediately stepped into the situation to act as a translator, provide emotional support, and assist as a nurse in any way she could. She was able to streamline our patient assessment while navigating the emergency, but also assisted the patient by staying with her in CT and talking her through it, holding her hand until she was under anesthesia, and being there when the patient woke up in PACU – all despite not being the primary nurse for this patient, but just an extra set of hands on the unit.
Maritza is a shining example of what a nurse should be: empathetic, intelligent, supportive, and willing to lend a hand whenever and wherever they can. We are very lucky we had Maritza with us that shift.
Thank you, Maritza, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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