It is my pleasure to nominate Ms. Brianna Burns. She is an exceptional nurse in training. An example of her exceptional intelligence, compassion, advocacy, care, empathy, interdisciplinary teamwork, conceptual thinking, organizational skills, professional poise, and critical thinking is within a particular patient care situation.

A patient who had a kidney transplant and had been impatient for a while was in the process of being discharged within the next 24 hours. In one of the beside interdisciplinary rounds with this 87-year-old patient, the patient was being discussed by the surgical team who was explaining a surgical procedure they were going to perform later that day to remove a pseudo-aneurism from the inner part of her upper dominant arm. The patient looked bewildered, yet compliant with the discussion, nodding, and seemingly consenting to the procedure. Ms. Burns perceived the patient's lack of understanding and asked the surgical team to please consider drawing a picture of her condition and explaining what they planned to do visually to help the patient understand.

At first, the physicians were not moved by the suggestion, thinking they had covered the patient's "need to know" information. Yet when the patient's daughter was listening to the interaction via speakerphone and the patient said to her daughter, "I do not know what they are doing to me, but I can't go home until it is done," the surgeon team halted their exit and returned to draw a picture of her condition, and what they were going to do to remove and why it was needed. The patient was greatly relieved, and the surgical team in training learned the value of both asking the patient to explain their understanding of the plan and to use visual diagrams to help explain procedures.

I thought this was outstanding – not only to speak up for her patient but to also rise above the actions of her nurse preceptor who was not demonstrating the same degree of advocacy at the moment. Brianna was able to accomplish this with a mature poise of a very experienced nurse. She is articulate and thorough and thoughtful in all actions, she contributes freely and meaningfully to other groups and be an exceptional clinician and health leader.