How do you measure the value of an excellent nurse?

In short, you can't. You can't measure what's invaluable. It's not how many compliments they receive or how nice they are to the patient. It's not about how many promotions, or how many degrees they have, or where they received their education. It's not a popularity contest, because being the best at something often brings scorn from the less gifted. In my judgment, an exceptional nurse is an extension of the patient. I don't mean the term extension as just an advocate for the patient. Instead, they must know the ins and outs of the patient's condition and the patient's experience, which is a dynamic situation, often changing minute to minute and pulse to pulse.

We rely on them to bring crucial information to us when necessary and filter out extraneous information when it would only impede patient care. We rely on them to question our decisions and orders when appropriate, and even when it doesn't appear appropriate. They not only call "time out", but call us out when we need accountability. They must possess decision-making ability and problem-solving capacity that facilitates the treatment process. They must think critically, act swiftly and deliberately. They cannot panic or stumble over emotions, yet they must retain enough emotion to remain empathetic and attached to the very core of why they became a nurse in the first place. That is, in my opinion, to love others as themselves.

This task of being an extension of the patient is performed day in and day out, shift by shift, unfailingly, by Jamie Woodcock.