Heather embodies the IU Health values of compassion and purpose. Heather came to join our team in the literal worst of times. She signed up to help out nurses in the hospital during the post pandemic world of 2021 by signing up to do the PPP program – which allowed nonhospital IU Health RNs to take some leave from their actual jobs in the outpatient area to come into the hospital to help relieve the patient and staffing burden the front line team was seeing at the time. Heather came into the hospital and got a very minimal orientation to an extremely busy medsurg floor. I am sure she will tell you as well, it was a bumpy start since she literally got barely any time to learn the unit and the type of patients we see here before taking off running, however here we are and I could not be more thankful that Heather stepped into our lives.

During her time on the PPP program, this team fell in love with her kind soul and her sweet spirit. Not to mention she walked into the storm to help us WILLINGLY. She blended seamlessly with the team and truly had a passion for serving our patients. Once it was time for PPP to end, Heather wanted to stay on prn after she renewed her love for bedside. Shortly after that, she decided to come back into the hospital and join our bedside team full-time! I have chills as I write this because when we heard Heather WANTED to come to stay in the hospital we were surprised. After all you've seen? After the extreme stress of your time here with us, you still want to stay? What was her response? That she felt like she had a purpose again, that she was making a difference in patients' lives again. This changed me, it truly did. For so long I had been stuck in such a negative mind space, wanting to run from the hospital and the profession after the trauma of the past two years. But yet here is Heather, bringing a fresh new perspective on the importance and the impact we have in these patients' lives. Heather has now been with us for around a year, and I respect and enjoy her now more than ever. Her bedside manner, the way she treats each patient, family member, and staff with respect and kindness is a true testament to the person she is.

Our patients are so lucky to have her care for them. I look forward to each day we work together and what kind of new random situations we will encounter together. Heather is such a special human and nurse. I want to thank her for making a difference for me, this team, and our patients. We are incredibly lucky to have you on this team, thank you for choosing us!