Every once in a while, one has the incredible honor to work with someone so extraordinary in every way that it is easy to take it for granted that this person is going above and beyond every single moment of their career. It doesn’t stand out because it’s just Gwen, an incredibly smart, brilliant clinician with a work ethic off the charts and kindness to match, and willingness to encourage and support her colleagues at any time. When you come to work and see her on the unit, you take it for granted that no matter what the universe can throw at us, it will be just fine because Gwen will have the knowledge and the passion to navigate anything in the best way without looking flustered, inconvenienced, or overwhelmed!

I have worked with Gwen over the last few years, and I could fill a book with extraordinary things that Gwen has done, the many times when her astute assessments skills averted a disaster as it was developing, how she has taught me so many things, how she has supported me in so many ways, how she encouraged me in so many ways, but there is not enough space. I will single out a few situations!

When I was new and I was trying to feed the baby of a nurse I was breaking, I noticed that the baby was very sloppy and I was concerned, yet I didn’t have enough experience to know what was wrong with the baby. Gwen was Charge Nurse and I called her to voice my concern trying to convey the worry I was feeling. She took my concerns very seriously and dropped everything to come and support me, and she entered the room as the baby just started seizing. She talked me through everything we needed to do and managed to get the baby moved to NICU within several minutes, assuring me that the brain bleed that the baby was experiencing had the best outcome due to her rapid intervention.

Another time she was assigned to a family of twins whose mother became increasingly frustrated throughout the previous shift because she felt she was not being heard about the concern she had about one of her daughters that was not acting “right”. I happened to be in charge that day and I had a very good rapport with the mom and I told her to trust Gwen that she is the smartest nurse I know. If something was wrong with her baby, Gwen will catch it and she will know what to do! At her first assessment, she noticed what the mom was worried about and could not voice. The baby’s slight abdominal girth increased, fussy with her feed, and her vital signs were just a little bit off; slight drifting sats, tachycardic interspersed with bradycardic episodes. Gwen with her vast experience, immediately suspected that the baby was quite rapidly developing NEC.

Again, she was able to quickly intervene and managed the baby in our unit because NICU was full and in order for us to transfer a baby to them, we had to accept one of their babies. Within 45 minutes she had an IV started and IVF, a KUB done, and the baby was ready to be transferred! Something that is really remarkable always with Gwen is how quickly she recognizes a problem and how able she is to manage the situation safely and very efficiently. There are times when with just a glance she will see something that is not right, and she will intervene to mitigate the situation. She is an expert in everything she touches, which sounds pretty incredible but it’s true! Whether there is a critical clinical situation that requires quick intervention or teaching matter, such as breastfeeding, car seat testing, feeding a difficult-to-feed child, or being able to calm the fussiest child, she somehow always knows the best and safest way to do things!

Also, when a new nurse has trouble or is insecure about a skill, she has the patience to support the clinical and emotional for said nurse while taking care of her own assignment at the same time. So now this extraordinary nurse that has not gone above for one family but for every family, not for the colleague, but for every colleague, furthering nursing education by her passion and constant desire to improve practice, is retiring and there is no way to thank her in an appropriate way or to reward her appropriately, but a DAISY Award would be a small gesture to say thank you!