I would like to nominate Doris Rodriguez, RN on CLC at American Lake, as one of the greatest committed nurses I ever worked with. I speak for our veterans; her kindness shown to our dementia vets, hospice, and long-term care. I have witnessed her compassion, excellence, and quality of attention given to each one of them.

Also, our veteran family has come to trust her judgment in everything she does. She is not afraid to give care in the most difficult situations, get the job done, and debrief to make the next time even better. She enlightens our team on how we can better serve our veterans. This is who she is. She brings it every day, consistency and skills. There have been more than a few times I have witnessed her de-escalating a situation before it is out of control. I so appreciate those skills. I have learned from her that she is always cool and calm, and professional to staff, as well as to veterans.

Many of our vets display mental issues by yelling and cursing at anyone. Doris always demonstrated kindness, respect, and helpfulness, keeping a soft, productive, caring tone. Veterans feel safe, and she celebrates vets who have come without clothing through donations. She finds clothing for them to wear, stays on top of grooming, and makes sure her aides have what they need to do to assist our veterans. There are many times when a veteran strikes out. If Doris is there, she is able to redirect the anger a veteran is feeling by saying something positive to the veteran, sometimes getting him or her to smile. This makes the workplace healthy when she is here. Doris has extraordinary skills as a charge nurse. Doris is a kind nurse and character who can take care of me or my family.