Susie is one of the most amazing, empathetic nurses I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is dependable and always willing to help in some way, shape, or form, even if I know that she has plenty of other things on her plate. Even if she doesn't have one of her assigned patients on our floor, she'll make sure to drop by to check on us if she has the time. She is constantly willing to take on stress for others. You can always count on Susie to come to the rescue and assist with our most difficult patients and situations.

She is willing to stand up for both her patients and her nurses. For example, we had a situation with a patient who themselves were difficult to deal with, as well as their family. Susie had taken time to come up and attempt to de-escalate the situation, spending around an hour's time at the bedside. The next day, she came up to check in on this patient and looked into the background of the situation further. She had the knowledge to recognize that this would be a patient that would likely be with us long term, against their wishes, if the appropriate actions weren't taken. She was able to reach out to the providers and find a safe discharge plan so that this difficult patient could leave on their own terms. These actions take the weight off of the staff's shoulders, and without Susie's insight, this would have been an ongoing issue for potentially weeks to come. It would have made things more difficult both for this patient and for the staff that worked with them.

At the same time that she was attempting to find a solution for this patient's discharge, she received a call from another unit requesting her help to communicate with one of their patients whom Susie had established a rapport with to help this patient understand her discharge plan. While Susie was clearly juggling multiple things at this time, she made sure that the other unit was aware that she would be available for them to assist with their issue as soon as she was able.

I could go on and on about the many times that Susie swooped in and saved the day, but then this nomination would never end. She takes on so much for the rest of us, and I believe that she doesn't receive enough recognition for it, even though I know that so many different people hospital-wide appreciate her. Susie is such a lovely person, and she puts so much heart into her work. She is amazing at what she does, and I truly believe that she is a great example of what a nurse should be. I just wanted to remind Susie that every day, we are grateful for her. Susie will forever and always be a godsend to us, and we love her for all that she does.