Jeannine Flood

Jeannine is an excellent clinician and strong advocate for her patients and families. Several situations immediately come to mind where Jeannine went the extra mile in looking out for her patient’s best interests. She recently communicated on behalf of a patient and family who wanted a second opinion from a university hospital. This request had largely been ignored for several months by the attending physician; hence the family was very frustrated. Following the chain-of-command, Jeannine communicated their needs and was instrumental in making this happen. Although her actions proved to be too late for this patient, her perseverance made a strong impact on her peers regarding the value of communication and advocacy role of a nurse.

An attending physician was hesitant to address the code status of a patient who was dying. In a patient-focused interview, Jeannine had a conversation with her patient about her daily goal and end-of-life choices. By doing so the patient’s wishes were made clear and communicated to the physician, a hospice consult was initiated and her code status changed.

Along with clinical competence and emotional intelligence, nurses need to be “present” – to listen, to care and to act as an advocate for the sick when they need one the most. Jeannine Flood consistently demonstrates that she excels in this area and is most deserving of this prestigious award.