I have worked with Audrey for 15 years, first as a Nurse Clinician, then as a Nurse Manager. My first memories of Audrey were about 25 years ago when she was teaching CPR classes as an educator with Education and Professional Development. I can still clearly remember being in awe of her communication, skills, and enthusiasm. I knew Audrey was a natural leader then, and have been blessed to have her leading the MRICU through the toughest few years ever imagined.

Audrey has yet to meet a global health crisis she could not motivate through. Before COVID, we had Ebola. One morning, I remember coming to work to find plastic sheeting covering one end of the MRICU. In less than 24 hours, the MRICU was transformed to care for possible patients. I remember thinking that I had not been trained for this however, Audrey led the way: teaching about personal protective equipment, communicating the plan for admissions, encouraging questions, and being present. Soon after, she helped plan, develop, and obtain staffing for a new unit, now known as the Unique Pathogens Unit.

MRICU was also on the front lines of H1N1. The MRICU was full for weeks with the sickest patients we had ever seen with a strain of influenza. Many of these patients were young and did not survive. Audrey was there both day and night to support. She ensure proper PPE, had Infectious Disease come to answer our questions, and brought employee assistance to us.

Then came COVID. Our unit became a war zone. The MRICU was ground zero for COVID patients. I was in charge the weekend of March 13th, 2020, when a wave of COVID patients started to hit the MRICU. By Monday morning, I knew this was going to be like nothing we had ever seen before. I remember going home that weekend and telling my family, "You will not go to work or school for a long time, this is going to be really bad." 

I remember calling Audrey over that weekend to tell her we were admitting COVID patients and that we needed help. At the time, Audrey was in New York attending a family baby shower. She was on the phone with me for most of the shower, asking what we needed and making phone calls for us. She then drove through the night to help us. I am tearful thinking back on this time. COVID would stretch the MRICU more than anything ever imagined. We were transformed from a one floor 28-bed ICU to a two floor 54-bed ICU. Simply stated, we could not have done this without Audrey leading the way. Audrey would constantly ask what we needed to care for our patients. No matter what we needed: supplies, staffing, equipment, negative pressure rooms, emotional support; she would work to get us help. Audrey would meet with anyone to advocate for us. She would not focus on what we couldn't do but rather help us see what we could do with teamwork, planning, and communication. When I think back to the charge role of a 54-bed unit, I do not remember Audrey ever saying you cannot do this, but instead leading by example to show me how it can be done.

During COVID, Audrey not only was a leader in the MRICU, but also in our community. Audrey was pictured in the news receiving one of the first COVID vaccines in our area. My mother saved the newspaper article showing Audrey’s picture and shared it with her friends. My son was in college, and he and his friends saw the article, and this was a push for them to get vaccinated. Audrey's vaccine picture made its way to social media, and posts were made that she encouraged others from across the country to get vaccinated. Through this time, Audrey remained humble regarding her impact on others.

Audrey exemplifies a lifelong learner. She has earned a Ph.D. in Nursing, with the focus of her dissertation on mobility. We are fortunate to have a leader that has chosen to stay at the unit level to share her knowledge and passion for patient care. She participates in daily mobility rounds and has invited other units to join her to teach them how the MRICU collaborates with multiple disciplines to mobilize patients and improve outcomes.

Audrey supports and mentors our nurses who have earned graduate degrees to share their passion and leadership with other MRICU nurses. She also encourages nurses to become CCRN certified and celebrates nurses who are certified. She values the clinical ladder process and mentors those preparing to challenge.

She encourages team members to reach their goals and spends many hours after work writing letters of recommendation for nurses wanting to further their education or those seeking another opportunity in nursing. One of the characteristics I admire most about Audrey is her communication skills.

She has a true gift in her ability to use her voice to advocate for nurses, help with crucial conversations, and give feedback with compassion. She has helped me so much over the years to improve my communication skills and continues to support me with heartfelt feedback and the message, "We are all on our communication journey."

There is a saying, "If you want something done, give it to a busy person." Although Audrey has over 120 team members in the MRICU, and has weathered global pandemics, and staffing crises, she still finds time to serve as President of the Greater Richmond Area Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She encourages team members to get involved with AACN, encourages abstract submissions and shares continuing education opportunities. Audrey has given a graduation speech for the VCU School of Nursing emphasizing the importance of "putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, so that you can then care for others." She has modeled self-care for her staff by involving EAP services and taking time to care for herself, to continue to be strong for her MRICU team members.

As a CC in the MRICU, I am often placed in situations where I quickly think about how to resolve a variety of scenarios. I often think, "How would Audrey handle this?" My answer is with integrity and compassion. Audrey is truly someone I admire. She motivates me to work hard, be honest, and do what is best for our patients. With her achievements in education, amazing communication skills, and exemplary community work, Audrey has chosen to stay in the MRICU to directly impact patient care. The DAISY Award celebrates nurses who demonstrate extraordinary nursing behavior. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than Audrey Roberson.