Patch Adams once said, "When you left the house today, you had the intention of putting clothes on, and you did.  You didn't try to put your pants on today.  You simply put them on.  The same has to hold true for all of our intentions.  We don't try to be more loving partners.  We make the intention, and we act on it." 

Jill is a nurse who meets the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award criteria more than any other nurse I have had the pleasure to nominate because of her strength of conviction and the fierce intention behind all of her actions. Jill has had a long and incredible career spanning 43 years here at Allenmore Hospital, where she has been an integral part of the family-centered culture that we are known for. Jill is truly a transformational leader in every aspect of the word. She has served as a role model for compassion, kindness, and intention. Jill is known for always having a smile on her face and greeting everyone who comes into the PACU.

She has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft.  She wanted to be the best PACU nurse possible, and she achieved that by being one of the first-ever nurses to take the CAPA certification, attending yearly classes, and finding every opportunity to keep learning.  This relentless pursuit of knowledge and excellence cemented her as not only a true subject matter expert in recovery care but also as a teacher and mentor to the rest of the team.  

Jill is a driver for excellent care and outcomes. She never accepted anything other than the best that her peers had to offer. She never settled for less than exceptional care and service, and she did all this through her calm and professional demeanor, which never seemed to waiver.

Jill was a founding member of our clinical research team, affectionately named "CRACK," which she used as a platform to implement best practices and change the way we provided alternative pain and nausea relief in the PACU.  

Jill has always embraced her talent for teaching and happily takes those new to recovery under her wing. She has also led her team with positivity, strength, integrity, and an incredible sense of calm in even the most stressful situations. She is always cool under pressure and sets a tone of confidence in her skills and those around her.  

Today, we celebrate Jill and all of her accomplishments over a truly remarkable career!  She has led the way for so many others and is leaving her team in the best position possible as she transitions to her next phase in life.  I know they say it's not good to compare yourself to others, but I will always look up to Jill for her accomplishments, kindness, professionalism, nursing excellence, and dedication to helping others.  For all of these reasons myself and so many others hold Jill up high as a picture of what it means to be a nurse and as a model for how we would like others to see us!

Jill has been nominated for this award collectively by her entire unit and we wish her all the best for her retirement!