Brigid Rice is the kind of Nurse Leader who leaves an unmistakable impact on everyone she works with. She may be new to the role of Pediatric Emergency Department Nurse Manager, but you’d never know it by the way she leads. From the moment she began, she was handed challenges that would have tested even the most seasoned leaders.
One of the first major hurdles she faced was a complex and emotionally heavy situation: our pediatric ED had three psychiatric/behavioral health boarding patients whose stories revealed unimaginable gaps in safety, guardianship, and support. All three had been failed not only by their guardians but also by multiple DSS systems. Their needs were far beyond what a pediatric ED is equipped to handle long-term, yet they had nowhere safe to go. Brigid refused to let them, and us, be overlooked. She became the voice that carried our concerns to the directors, the CNO, and the highest levels of leadership. She was a fierce advocate, ensuring that the severity of the situation was seen, heard, and acted upon. We could see how tirelessly she was working behind the scenes on our behalf. She consistently sent us detailed updates, tackled difficult conversations, and stood up for both patient and staff safety. Even through the exhaustion, she always found a way to end her communications on a hopeful note. She reminded us that while these challenges were heavy, they would ultimately make our unit stronger, more resilient, and better supported going forward.
Shortly after, there was a series of surprise surveyor visits that focused on some of the most sensitive and demanding areas of our practice: psychiatric patients, restraint audits, and in-depth reviews of nursing documentation. Surveyors combed through charts, asked hard questions, and scrutinized both processes and bedside decision-making. Throughout that entire experience, Brigid stood right beside us. She navigated every audit, answered every question, and supported us through each stressful moment with an unwavering sense of calm and confidence. When the visit ended with only positive feedback for our unit, we all knew exactly why. It was Brigid’s steady leadership, thorough preparation, and deep understanding of her team’s strengths that made that outcome possible. What makes Brigid remarkable isn’t just her response to crises; it’s the way she leads in the everyday moments. She takes every staff member’s professional growth seriously and makes a point of elevating others to their highest potential. She celebrates strengths, encourages development, and sees possibilities in people before they do. Many of us have worked beside Brigid for years, long before she became our manager. We all feel incredibly fortunate that she is leading our unit. She brought the same compassion, grit, humility, and unwavering work ethic she showed at the bedside. Now she has combined those skills with a powerful ability to guide, protect, and inspire a team. Brigid Rice isn’t just a manager. She’s a leader we trust, a voice we rely on, and a person who has made our unit better in every measurable and immeasurable way.