I always look forward to the days that Amber and I work together as I know things will go just a little more smoothly. On this particular day, I was caring for a lovely patient who had been in the hospital for several weeks.

The patient was quite ill but seemed to be doing a little better that morning. I returned to the room later in the day to answer some follow-up questions and found the bedside nurse and Amber - who was the charge nurse that day - already in the room. The patient had taken an unexpected turn for the worse just a minute before my arrival. Amber already had things under control and seemed to be in 5 places at once. She helped to call a rapid response to bring more assistance to the room. She helped to get our patient on higher flow oxygen and administer medication to try to improve the labored breathing. She helped to locate the patient's family who had left the floor before the emergency happened and she was able to help comfort them when they returned. She helped to reassure and comfort the patient who was fearful of the rapid changes and the chaos of everything that was going on in the room. She helped to coordinate with me and the emergency team so that we could quickly transfer the patient to the ICU where we could continue the care.

Although all of these things may just seem like part of doing the job, Amber is always thoughtful caring, and compassionate and never hesitates to step in to lend a hand wherever and whenever it is needed. Amber is truly a valued member of our team at the Respiratory Institute and provides outstanding compassionate care every day.