I have wanted to recognize Paul for the outstanding work that he does for quite some time, but it always feels like you need a “reason” or some “spectacular event” to recognize someone. There are not enough words to describe the amazing nurse that Paul is. When I say there is no more deserving nurse to be recognized, I mean it; yet Paul is not seeking recognition. And while this award sometimes recognizes one outstanding event, I have always wanted to recognize the consistency with which Paul provides compassionate, excellent care to every single patient, every single shift.

He comes to work and gives his all to his patients, and while doing this, he also provides the most calming presence, years of knowledge and experience, strong patient advocacy, and superb clinical judgment that is just unmatched. Though there is not just “one” spectacular moment that happened for which to recognize Paul, I did want to recognize him for three separate circumstances within a two-week period where he demonstrated what it means to be a quiet, yet forceful and courageous leader in nursing.

First, he came to me as charge RN one shift, asking for assistance at shift change in obtaining stat labs on a patient who appeared to be very sick, but was hemodynamically stable. Although this patient did not have the outcome we had hoped for, Paul recognized right away that the patient was sick and needed immediate attention. He demonstrated excellent teamwork, superb clinical judgment, and leadership, which, truthfully, gave me the courage as charge RN to assist him in advocating for a higher level of care in a challenging situation as the charge nurse.

Second, in the same week, he recognized subtle changes in an already confused patient’s mental status and reacted fast to activate a BAT, getting this patient the appropriate care in a timely fashion. If not for Paul, this patient may have had a worse outcome.

Lastly, today, as I’m writing this letter, Paul demonstrated again how strong an advocate he is for his patient. He advocated all day for this patient to go to a higher level of care while awaiting a cardiac catheterization. In the end, Paul achieved getting this patient to where they safely needed to go for close monitoring post-procedure, and he did this by making a strong argument for the patient’s clinical presentation, his lab and imaging values, and so on.

Paul thinks about trajectory and he notices subtle changes in his patients, and patients are safer when they are in the care of Paul. I am not sure if he knows the impact that he has on his colleagues, but I would not be the nurse and patient advocate that I am today if I hadn't worked side by side with Paul over the last several years.

It takes an extremely special person to have the impact that he does on his colleagues and his patients. There is just something to be said about the way patients respond to Paul – they are comfortable around him, and they constantly recognize that he is there for them. They light up when they see Paul. I hear it from every patient every time I have a patient who recently had Paul as their nurse – that he’s the best.

When Paul is your nurse, you are not only going to have someone who will advocate for you clinically, but someone who is extremely kind, hard-working, and caring. Paul, more than anyone I've ever known, deserves to be recognized for the consistency with which he has provided outstanding service to his patients, for the patience and excellent guidance he has provided to new nurses he has trained, and for the profound impact he has had on all his colleagues throughout the years.