Erica received the nomination from a patient's family member, and this is the letter we received from a family member regarding the care Erica gave her father:

Erica was so wonderful, sweet, kind and compassionate in her care with my dad. She took her time when working with him and did not seem rushed. She made sure that my dad knew all the medications he could get and what each of them would do. She would explain each medication 2 or 3 times before my dad understood which medications to pick for his pain. When my dad needed more pain medications she was quick to get him what he needed. Erica also checked back on him to make sure he was doing ok.

She wrote goals up on the board for my dad to reach: pain control, walk in hallway, breathing exercises and eliminate oxygen. These goals were not changed to meet day to day for my dad throughout his stay. I feel that Erica took the extra mile to help my dad and give him something to look forward to.

To top it all off, Erica was pregnant and nearing the end of her pregnancy. I have been pregnant twice and was not as happy or had the patience that Erica had. She also had a nursing student with her. She is amazing and needs to be recognized. She is an excellent role model nurse.

I forgot to add that she made us laugh and gave us hope in a time of worry for me and my family.