Floren has been a nurse for many years, she started out as a CNA then later became an RN. She has worked literally in all departments of the medical field; she was even a flight nurse. 

I first met Floren in 2011 when I was a new nurse on Unit 9200. From the first time I met her, I realized she was an excellent nurse. I remember when she would handoff her patients over to the night shift the patients would be sad to see her go but if they knew she would be coming back to work the next day, they would be so happy because they knew she would potentially be their nurse again. Floren’s main goal has always been to bring joy and laughter to her patients during the most difficult time of their lives. She would do anything to bring a smile to their face by making a joke, dancing, making a silly face. She would sing to them and most importantly pray with them. She loves to be funny, but no one would mistake her funny behavior for being careless because when it came to patient care she is meticulous and made sure all her tasks were done correctly. She never plays with patient safety or with her responsibility to patients and their families. With patient care she demonstrated the Loma Linda values of compassion, excellence, and integrity. 

Floren later left unit 9200 and started to work for acute rehab as an admission case manager. I had the privilege of working with her again in acute rehab. In this position she is a true patient advocate, helping patients and their families to get into rehab to improve their outcome after serious illness or injury. Floren excels in this position because she has a no-quit attitude, she does everything possible to advocate for patients to get the level of care they deserve to improve their quality of life. The reason why I can vouch that Floren has a “no quit” attitude is because she helped me when my mother became ill and needed acute rehab for her recovery. She advocated and made the transition to acute rehab a smooth process. Because of Floren's initial advocacy, my mother is now independent and has a great quality of life. Aside from all this, she is a wonderful colleague, she is always looking to help with all things. Her goal is always to assist in getting patients into rehab even if that means she is taking on extra work. In this area, she demonstrates outstanding teamwork and humility. 

Floren is well known around Loma Linda University Medical Center. When we walk down the halls it seems as if everyone knows her, and she knows everyone. She acknowledges the doctors, nurses, EVS, transport, dispatch, admissions, every possible employee at Loma Linda, she considers everyone her family. She acknowledges people by their names and will always say something so they can smile. She literally leaves a trail of smiles as we walk the halls. With her interpersonal relationships she demonstrates humility and justice. 

I would also like to recognize that when Floren is not at work she does community service, helping seniors to clean their homes, she provides food for those who are in need. She enjoys tutoring the kids in her neighborhood and even with all that she takes care of herself by going walking at the park or Drayson Center. Here she demonstrates wholeness. 

Overall, she is an amazing nurse, employee, colleague, and friend. She has dedicated her life to nursing and caring for others, she lives the Loma Linda values, and the DAISY Award was made to recognize nurses that have a heart like Floren’s.