Writing this nomination, I find myself struggling to determine one specific moment that qualifies Eva for this prestigious award because there are far too many to count. Eva displays compassion and professionalism in every interaction she has. Her clinical reasoning, psychomotor skills, and critical thinking abilities are some of the best I’ve seen throughout my time precepting students. Specifically, I recall my first shift precepting Eva as the moment I knew she would be an incredible nurse and someone I would hope to have as a colleague in the future.

It was a typical night in the emergency department, with too many patients and not enough staff. Eva and I were assigned to triage alone, managing a waiting room of over 20 patients still waiting to be seen. This situation can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned nurse, trying to care for 20 sick patients with limited help, space, and resources. But Eva was a rockstar and hit the ground running. In a matter of minutes, she seemed to grasp our triage process – which can be confusing at times – and started providing stellar care to every patient she interacted with.

Eva greeted each new face with kindness and empathy, even when they were rude to her about the long wait time that she had no control over. Watching these interactions, I find myself taking lessons from Eva about patience and compassion – something I think we lack in emergency medicine at times – and decided I would make a more conscious effort to embody her understanding attitude when I interacted with irritable patients. Eva must have placed upwards of 15 IVs that night in triage, and I do not recall her missing a single one. I realized that her psychomotor skills are impeccable! In time, I imagine her being someone coworkers will seek out for difficult access, a real compliment in emergency medicine. She asked intelligent questions to me and patients, in a focused effort to advance her understanding of disease processes, emergency medicine, and improved patient care.

And finally, Eva displayed critical thinking skills above and beyond her experience level, as she correctly anticipated provider workups based on each patient’s synopsis for seeking care. She filled the right tubes, placed the right size IVs for various scans, and made sure to collect urine samples and fresh vitals on patients in a way I would expect an experienced nurse to. Needless to say, Eva is a head above the rest and will go on to accomplish many great things throughout her nursing career. She is the kind of nurse I would want caring for my loved ones. It has been an honor precepting her.