Samantha Brandt has been caring for a particular patient for a few weeks now. During this time she formed a special bond with this patient due to the complexity of his wound care and his overall nursing needs. This nomination is not because of the excellent care that she provided this man, because Samantha took exceptional care of not only the patient, but their family as well. She went above and beyond her responsibilities as his nurse and truly provided the Mother Standard of Care. This patient became her family and she did any and everything she could to ensure that he knew he was special to her. Samantha on many occasions stayed after her shift was over to educate the oncoming nurse about the patient's extensive wound care and dressing change and reassure the patient that they we would take good care of him. She openly communicated with other staff on his care team to provide the best possible outcomes for this patient which included wound healing and effective pain control/relief during dressing changes.

When discharge finally came for this patient Samantha was not able to be present. Being the outstandingly compassionate nurse she is, she wanted to ensure the patient's discharge went smoothly. After her shift was over she stayed to type up specific instructions regarding the patient's complicated dressing change, which takes about 2 hours to perform,for patient comfort and clear communication hand off for the discharging nurse in the morning as well as the care provider at home. As a result of this nurse's exemplary nursing care, I was able to keep our patient comfortable and pain at a minimum during his last dressing change. We were also able to discharge to patient on time for his 6 hour ambulance ride home. The whole process went smoothly and contributed to staff and patient satisfaction.

Before leaving, the patient stated "I'm going to miss you guys, you've been like an extended family to me. Especially Sam, she stayed after her shift last night with me to make sure I was well taken care of this morning." The patient was overwhelmed with the kindness and compassion that Samantha showed him during his multiple stays with us. He went home with hospice that day and knowing that someone cared for him so deeply made him rest a little easier the night prior to
going home.

This is only one of the many acts of kindness and professionalism that Samantha shows on a daily basis. She not only is like this with her patients, but she is like this with her team as well. She truly provides the "Mother Standard of Care" as well as our "Stakeholder Bond." Samantha Brandt's actions demonstrate the pride she puts into her work every day.