I'm writing to nominate Ciara for The DAISY Award, in recognition of her extraordinary leadership during a recent patient event that showed her dedication, compassion, and commitment to patient advocacy for our most ill patients. I was recently on call when contacted by Ciara as the charge nurse on our highest acuity unit where patients with severe mental illness in acute psychiatric crisis receive care. Our contact was initially focused on a patient suffering from the symptoms of psychosis with extremely high blood pressure not responding to treatment. The patient was highly paranoid and was at the point of refusing all treatment which had escalated to the point where the patient was no longer allowing the staff to monitor her vital signs. The nurse had appropriately escalated concerns to medical staff and was wanting to make sure that all nursing interventions had been explored and looking for additional brainstorming to ensure the patient received the care needed to keep her safe. A short while later I reached out for an update on this patient's status. When Ciara answered the phone she was out of breath and I learned that another patient, who was also experiencing psychosis which included severe paranoia and delusional beliefs, had become agitated and physically aggressive requiring assistance from additional staff and our security professionals. Even during what was clearly a scary and dangerous event for staff, Ciara was most concerned with being able to obtain an interpreter to assist in debriefing with the patient and making sure that she was not experiencing any pain following the physical intervention as the patient was non-English speaking. As we talked through interpreter options, I could hear yet another patient escalating in the background. One complication in an acute mental health setting is that there is often a domino effect with patient behavior when the environment becomes overstimulating. I could go on and on providing the details of the last couple of hours of the shift, but the ENTIRE TEAM, led by Ciara, did an amazing job of ensuring a safe environment for patients and staff while also maintaining a primary focus of compassion and understanding for our patients and their level of illness. Ciara exemplifies the spirit of teamwork that is so essential in our healthcare environment. She collaborated seamlessly with fellow staff members, ensuring that everyone involved in the patient's care understood the unique challenges presented by the situation. Ciara’s leadership and advocacy in promoting patient and staff safety were instrumental in creating a cohesive plan that prioritized the well-being of our vulnerable patients.