Jill is usually the charge nurse over our unit, but recently she took patients on a day we were understaffed. That day, she took exceptional care of one of our patients in 2516.

This patient had to spend a lot of time on our floor due to needing to be on continuous blood thinner infusion for multiple days. During her break, Jill went down to the gift shop and purchased several activity and puzzle books for her patient while she was stuck in the hospital. This patient certainly appreciated Jill going above and beyond to ensure that her stay here was less miserable.

This generosity from Jill was also on a day of high stress for our unit, but she kept a calm head and even sought to improve not only the day of her patient but also to encourage her co-workers. This is only a small example of how Jill makes our unit a better place. No matter what is thrown at her, Jill never becomes complacent. She advocated every day for optimal care for our patients as well as a better work environment for everyone on our unit.

One of the best things about Jill is that she never loses sight of the struggles of all her fellow nurses and patients. Every day she comes in, and she gracefully mediates between our unit and upper management to make sure every patient on our unit receives not only excellent care but also has the best care related to her level of need. Jill is never afraid to lend a hand or be a listening ear for a coworker.

She is a living and breathing testament to the beauty of servant leadership and how it greatly improves the morale and patient care on a unit. She is the backbone of our unit and lots of people look to Jill for help and support, whether it is direct patient care or the big picture on our Progressive Care Unit.