Dorothy was one of the first faces I saw on my first day at Seattle Children's Hospital, as she greeted me in the lobby to orient me to the unit before my first day. Her open smile, compassionate way of communicating, and incredibly friendly demeanor made me instantly feel at ease. Dorothy is one of our Nursing Professional Development Practitioners in the Operating Room, and she helped guide me through starting my new role here. Throughout my orientation, she provided guidance, support, and help with whatever I needed. Knowing that she was available for any questions I might have always gave me such comfort. No matter what challenges I brought to Dorothy, she always had a way to put a kind and positive spin on things and give me the confidence to face them.

Part of Dorothy's job is to supervise orientation for all nurses in the operating room. This includes not just nurses to new to our department, but nurses who are new to the role of working in the operating room. Recently, the decision was made to completely overhaul the curriculum for nurses new to the operating room and to also add a whole new skill set by training nurses to work in the scrub role as well. I cannot imagine how stressful and overwhelming this must be, but Dorothy has handled it with her customary positive attitude and calm demeanor.

Dorothy is one of those rare people who always make you feel like they're genuinely happy to see you and can brighten even the worst of your days just by interacting with her. I hope that Dorothy is recognized for the compassion she shows everyone she encounters, her excellence at her job, and the innovative ways she works to develop education for our department.