Jackie has been an outstanding leader in the ER. She is able to take on the task of organizing patients and staff in a manner that is efficient and results in excellent patient treatment. She is consistently willing and able to take on difficult tasks that others may find challenging. Jackie often works with our most difficult patients, providing appropriate boundaries for safety of patients and staff. Jackie is impressively knowledgeable and shares her expertise with other staff which provides improvement to the overall team effort. Jackie is a capable leader and desires to do the hard work without recognition or praise. I believe Jackie deserves recognition for her hard work and willingness to be a positive team player in the emergency department. 

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Working in the ED, especially during the pandemic has strained even the best but Jackie continues to show up with a smile under her mask and a can-do attitude. I have worked with Jackie for years now and every time I see her on shift I know my night is going to be better knowing I get to work with such an outstanding and efficient team member. No matter how busy it is, Jackie always has time to help anyone in need whether it’s staff, patients, or family, and has an innate sense of how to best utilize available resources. When in her role as charge she has the ability to control the whole department with a calm and often amusing demeanor. She leads by example and is always reassessing the department and reiterating “We’ve got this.” Even when it sometimes doesn’t feel that way. When caring for patients, Jackie has an amazing ability to get a sense of a patient room and using her experience and intuition knows how best to handle a situation. In one room she compassionately tended to the needs of a dying patient to make sure he was comfortable and that the family’s needs were met. She then immediately switched gears and went to another room where she de-escalated a rather loud situation between law enforcement security and a patient exhibiting aggressive behavior. Using her “mom voice” she single-handedly took command of the situation and avoided violence or unneeded calming medications. Yet in another room I watched her make a dad feel more like a normal parent and not a failure. These are just a few of the many examples that exemplify why Jackie has my endless respect. We are better at St. Mary’s for having Jackie as a nurse in our ED and I will forever be grateful for having the opportunity to work alongside such an incredible nurse.