Commitment: Christina and I spoke several times about how I felt the VA has improved over the last 10 years or so. I told her to make no mistake and that she needed to know she was absolutely part of that success story, helping to serve the Veterans and their families by honoring the VA's mission. She also always checked in with my spouse, ensuring that she knew about everything that was going on and explaining all the "whys" to her as well.

Advocacy: Besides me, my spouse, also a veteran, I was extremely impressed with how Christina focused on serving the Veteran, not only the Veteran under her care but all the Veterans around her. When I thought I might be discharged too early, it was Christina, who was part of the team, that helped make the call to keep me an additional day, which really paid off in the long run and put my spouse's mind at ease.

Respect: Immediately established an environment of dignity and respect, asking me rather than telling me before different care scenarios began and constantly checking in on me, not just medically but also on the overall me and where my head was.

Excellence: Christina always strives for the highest quality and continuous improvement. She follows through on things she said she was going to do and follows up later to see if those things improved the quality of my care.

If I were King of the VA for a day, I would put Christina in charge of training all of your new nurses!