This nominee lives the Duke value of Integrity every day in both her personal life and professional life.  She is true to her word and always follows through on commitments made to others.  She holds herself to the same standard as everyone else.  She uses her own experiences for teaching moments, which displays integrity to the team while reinforcing correct patient care.  She displays integrity by always doing what is right for her patients, even if it appears that no one is watching.  If there is a patient/family complaint, this nominee goes to the patient room to find out what the concern is and tries to resolve it, whenever possible.  If she can’t resolve it, she escalates it to the proper person or department.  Whenever there are issues with staff from other departments, she addresses the concern through proper channels.  She does not hide from the truth – she embraces it.

Since working at this hospital, this nominee advanced from Health Unit Coordinator (HUC), to Nursing Assistant, to RN.  She started with her associate degree in nursing, went on to complete her BSN, and recently finished her MSN for Clinical Nurse Leadership.  She is certified, and has advanced to a Clinical Nurse IV.  She is the Duke MOVES Champion for our unit, and has been working to get all staff checked off on their skills using the minimal-lift equipment.  She is a member of the DUHS Monitoring Committee and the Professional Development Committee.  This nominee volunteers at her daughter’s school, volunteered to be the American Heart Association Triangle Heart Walk Team Captain for our unit the past two years, and always volunteers to staff a station during our annual Skills Competency Fair.  She has presented posters at several conferences (prior to COVID).  She is a member of the local chapter of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Whenever she hears of a product that could prevent harm for our patients, she is the first to volunteer to give it a try to see if it helps.  She takes it a step further by finding out how to get the product, how much it costs, and takes steps to get its use approved (if needed).  Then she coordinates education for the staff on the use of the product.  An example of this is the Gecko Pad.  This gel pad is used to prevent pressure ulcers on the faces of our patients who must be on BiPAP for long period of time.

When our unit saw an uptick in Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPIs), this nominee took it upon herself to create standard work to prevent HAPIs with our COVID patient population.  She sent this idea to providers, respiratory therapists, PT/OT/ST, WOC nurses and others for their input on her idea.

Whenever someone is unable to attend a committee meeting, this nominee volunteers to fill in for them.  If someone needs help boosting a patient in bed, she helps.  If a bed alarm is going off, she runs to check on the patient.  The HUC needs to take a break?  She volunteers to staff the desk.  Someone needs to leave to attend a class for an hour?  She covers for them.  If the charge nurse is tied up at shift change, she’ll jump in and lead huddles.

She helps with orientation of new staff, and checks in on them to make sure they are doing well and have the resources they need.  If a new staff member is struggling to meet orientation milestones, this nominee has a way of talking to them about their lack of progress.  She does it in a way that does not make them feel bad.  She works to find out what the issues are, and then reaches out to resources to help them.

She strives to be the best nurse she can; this shows in her everyday work.  She has developed great listening skills, and has a kind, gentle voice.  She is sensitive to the ongoing needs of patients, often visiting rooms to ensure the patient’s experience is good.  If a patient or family member has questions, she works to get the answer and explain it in such a way that they can understand.  She is kind, accepting and friendly to everyone.  She cares about the patients and staff on the unit.  She sends electronic birthday cards to everyone.  She is the first to offer a shoulder to cry on and connect employees with Personal Assistance Service when they are going through rough times.  I have never met someone so selfless, kind and caring as this nominee.

This amazing, funny, caring and inspirational nurse cares deeply about others, and shows it by providing safe, high-quality care for her patients, supporting others, and helping staff keep their passion for this wonderfully difficult job we call Nursing.