We have a difficult patient who has been involuntarily committed on our unit for months now following a significant burn injury. Adriana displays an extraordinary amount of patience and compassion for this patient despite his history of violent outbursts and verbal abuse. Adriana has a great rapport with this patient and has allowed the patient to make big strides in his recovery. The patient often refused care and would become aggressive if he felt like he was being pressured into things, but Adriana always takes the time to explain everything to him in a patient and gentle manner.

There was one incident around Thanksgiving when the patient removed all his surgical dressings, including the recently applied artificial skin, in one fell swoop. Adriana sat the patient down and described the rationale for the dressings. She explained how she needed to apply new dressings since the site was a fresh operative site. The patient allowed her to dress the site without issue. I am confident that no other nurse would have been able to accomplish this task.

The patient is also a bit of a jokester, and Adriana brings out the best in his humor by playing along with his silliness. Additionally, Adriana has gone out of her way to include this patient in the unit’s holiday celebrations, including bringing him plates of food from our Thanksgiving potluck and starting a Christmas countdown for him on his whiteboard. The patient has stated that the winter holidays are extra difficult for him this year due to it being the first since his brother and father died, leaving him without any close family. Adriana is a one-of-a-kind nurse and deserves to be recognized for her compassion. She has such a big heart and so much love to share.