Deidre has countless stories of the daily support she gives our patients and their families. She also supports our staff, MD's, APPs, and ancillary staff in her exceptional coordination of care. Recently, she received a phone call from a disgruntled family member, who was upset that home health wasn't ordered for discharge. The call came late on a Friday night, right as she was supposed to be leaving. She talked to the daughter, got as much information as she could, and tried to troubleshoot the situation.

Because the patient had been discharged a few days before (Monday, a holiday), she had to escalate to me, the lead for the discharging team, and her manager. Even though she could not solve the problem, she stayed late and made sure, with closed-loop communication, that the patient would be taken care of, and we could get services reinstated. I was able to call the home health company and talk to the on-call administrator the next day to explain that it was an observational visit, and they agreed they did not need new orders, and services were resumed that day.

During Epic go-live, Deidre took the time to learn as much as she could about everyone's roles as she helped support many disciplines trying to learn a new EMR, and safely discharge patients across many teams. She was able to make connections with providers to create a shared learning space- such as roping inpatient hospitalist coordinators in to help the Heart Failure and Transplant team, surgeons, and other services learn how to do discharge orders within Epic. She has also been an amazing partner during the optimization stage as a collaborative partner between inpatient medicine and case management. When we have difficult discharges, Deidre often gets called to help brainstorm different options, and has long been known as a content expert in her field. Deidre is level-headed and handles stressful situations with a calm demeanor, a little salt, and a wicked sense of humor. She's an amazing RN and partner.

Deidre's attention to detail and compassion for her patients create safe and effective discharge plans. She finds problems before they have a chance to evolve, and reduces hospital readmissions daily. She is so knowledgeable about our health care system, including the unfortunate gaps and holes, that she anticipates needs before they arise and comes up with a solution to present to the primary team. She has also come up with creative solutions for complicated discharges, as well as reaching out to multiple teams to ensure patients are receiving excellent care while here at IMED, and wherever they discharge to.

Deidre has cultivated relationships throughout the hospital that encourage multidisciplinary teamwork, as well as keeping the patient first, ensuring we are doing the right thing for the patient, and abiding by their wishes. She is a firm advocate for her patients and will not waver when she has concerns. She will not back down from a disagreement, but will not escalate. She will calmly educate you regarding the situation and why she's concerned. Deidre has offered a listening ear to each patient and their family members. She takes her job seriously, teaches them, and advocates for each of her patients in explaining options for discharge resources, and creates a personalized plan with the input of the patient, family, and providers. She makes sure the discharge plan is not only affordable but also feasible. Her compassion and empathy often draw caregivers into her office, where she offers a listening ear, empathy, and support on stressful days.

She offers advice and resources when asked, and just listens when not. She probably had no idea that she would become a form of psychological support for her patients as well as staff. Her calming presence is a panacea for all. She is always quick to help, even if it is not her patient or problem. But she does it without being overbearing, and educates as she goes in such a way that everyone leaves the situation wiser than before, and feels good about the process. She often leads by example. As one of my providers said, "The problem is that she's consistently great, so there are no standout examples. She is my gold standard."