chimel howard, RN

When we heard the Code Blue go off in ICU, the L&D nurses knew exactly who it was and our hearts sank. We had a very sick HELLP patient deliver that day. We responded to the code and watched the flurry of medical personnel working feverishly. There was one nurse that stood out, the patient's nurse, Chimel "ChiChi" Howard. She was focused and determined. You could feel the love for her patient as she worked. She answered any question thrown at her and she asked important questions.

After a successful code, a few L&D nurses stuck around to help out ChiChi as the ICU was full. You could feel her determination. She worked quickly and with purpose. As L&D nurses, we had little knowledge of the ICU environment, but she was able to effectively put us to work. Not only did she give us tasks, she taught us. We learned more about the ICU in those few hours than in all of nursing school. She spoke eloquently and loving to her patient's family. She hugged them often.

After we left the ICU, we all agreed on one thing, if we ever had the misfortune of being in an ICU, we would want a nurse like ChiChi taking care of us. She is smart, compassionate, and completely exemplifies an extraordinary nurse.