Work in the ICU is harrowing, to say the least. We were lucky to have Jen for three shifts during my husband’s stay and she was always positive, which brought my husband calm. When he was admitted to the ICU, I was out of the state and rushing back to meet him. I checked in with Jen several times during the trip and she was careful to not alarm me but gave me actionable facts in ways I could communicate with our other loved ones. Jen’s clinical skills are excellent and her long-time experience in the ICU shined as she attended to my husband - anticipating his needs (and mine) as I sat bedside. They developed a great rapport and even quipped with inside jokes that developed. Her caring manner and amazing attitude helped alleviate my husband’s anxieties as he was getting hard news and preparing for surgery. When he was too medicated to communicate, she filled in the blanks so I never felt out of the loop. We also found ways to communicate the more gritty details about his procedure and recovery in ways that didn’t contribute to his fear of surgery. Following the procedure, my husband woke up in his room to see Jen had requested the chance to care for him post-op, too. The consistency and coordination of care helped his recovery immensely! She knew what hurt and where he struggled before surgery, so she was well-suited to monitor improvements and manage care following the surgery. Her compassion for my husband is what kept him from collapsing inward. He was scared and alone with his thoughts and limited use of his hands - no cell phone, no clothes, no ID, and no visitors because we didn’t have family nearby and our kids are under 18. Jen was a rock as I made the trip back. She updated him along the way as I checked in and made sure I had a way to see him when I arrived. We have had wonderful care in our stay at Carle BroMenn, but having Jen by our side made it so much better!