Miriam Gonzalez-Lopez, MSN, RN, NEA-BC

Despite the tremendous pressure and stress during this unprecedented time, Miram has been a great mentor and leads by example with poise and strength. Throughout the pandemic, Miram has provided a safe culture for the staff by being transparent, making herself available to staff concerns during weekly office hours, supporting monthly charge nurse meetings and quarterly staff meetings. She shows compassion toward staff, especially when it comes to providing emotional support. During the pandemic, the unit was selected to start monitoring and providing treatment to Neuro Observation patients, temporarily boarding outpatient Oncology patients for transfusion treatments, and administering Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for COVID-positive patients. Miriam facilitated education and in-service training for staff to ensure they are fully competent to provide care and treatment for these specific patients. She also agreed to board two new grad nurses on the unit temporarily. Miriam created an environment where preceptors and other staff nurses felt safe to provide feedback and openly express concerns. Despite all these new challenges, she maintained high staff satisfaction due to her extraordinary ability to ensure staff receives all the proper supplies, training, and education needed to provide safe, effective care and treatment to their patients. The staff was supportive and open to all the challenges and changes due to their trust in Miram.