If this award is designed to recognize a nurse who has continued to demonstrate, throughout a career in nursing, the many desirable traits of clinical nursing, I can think of few nurses within this facility who could compare to Christopher's career of demonstrated excellence.

Christopher has worked as a registered nurse at this facility in the emergency department for well over 20 years. With previous nursing home and medical surgical experience, he has consistently, for over two decades in the emergency department, proven to be a truly outstanding clinical nurse. Although I, as an emergency medicine physician, have been blessed to work with a very select few nurses of equal caliber and currently work with the best group of nurses I have ever worked with, I have never worked with a nurse of a higher caliber.

Christopher's clinical skills are, in a word, simply excellent. Clinically, his knowledge base is strong, yet he is always willing to learn. His clinical technical skills are among the best I have ever seen. His assessment skills are trustworthy and accurate. Although we are very blessed to have other nurses with equally strong work ethic, I am not aware of any that surpasses his work ethic. In addition to his consistent efficiency, knowledge base, and work ethic, he remains compassionate.

Christopher is one of the most patient nurses I have ever met. With over two decades of working in a very close clinical relationship with him, I have never seen him exhibit even the slightest bit of frustration toward a patient or a patient's family. Over the two decades plus of working together, I have always seen him conduct himself in a professional and truly caring and compassionate way, no matter the clinical situation or the social situation with the family or patient. One of our other fellow physicians described them as "the glue" that holds the department together.

This is one of the nurses that, as an emergency medicine physician in a critical situation or disaster situation, I would want to have with me in the care of patients. They are highly respected by their nursing peers as well, yet remain one of the most humble in their profession. If I could pick 1 model nurse in our emergency department to model all of our new nurses after, I would choose this nurse. In fact, many times over the years with new nurses, I have told them specifically to emulate what this nurse does, both in technical/practical work as well as work ethic and attitude. The best have done this and become excellent as well.

I can think of no other currently clinically active nurse who better demonstrates excellence and bedside nursing care for as long as this nurse has, and therefore, can think of no better recipient for McLeod Health Cheraw's inaugural DAISY Award. In fact, in order to set the standard of excellence and maintain that standard of excellence, keeping the expectation of consistency and performance at an outstanding level, choosing anyone else would seem anticlimactic. If given the option and polled, this Emergency Department team, physicians, and nursing staff would not only select Christopher to receive the inaugural award, but would do so unanimously.