Bernadette Carter, whom I affectionally call "Bern," exemplifies an innovator, motivator, and nurse advocator and acts as an agent of change to drive processes and policy to improve the quality of care for nurses and, ultimately, for our patients. Bern arrives in the office by 6:00 am and sometimes doesn't leave until 4:00 pm, which further exemplifies her dedication to her craft and patient care.

During the pandemic, Bern was instrumental in alerting our nurse leaders, Union, CEO, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that our nurses were experiencing burnout and under-compensated by writing up a petition that was signed by our nurses and sent to our CNO, NYSNA President, and Senator Gillibrand. Senator Gillibrand responded to her letter with support and urged Bern to keep in touch with her office for future legislation and concerns she may have. Even though she is frontline staff, she demonstrates leadership qualities by collaborating with middle management and developing patient and staffing workflows, which will promote adequate staffing and increase efficiency and patient care. She was instrumental in recognizing and developing the DIAMOND Award recognition program for our Registered Nurses with over 50 years of service.

I can continue to point out how amazing Bern's actions have impacted patient care, but I will close by nominating Bernadette Carter for the DAISY Award.