I have been lucky enough to walk alongside Laurie for 3 years. Every shift she provides exceptional patient care. This patient situation stood out to me the most. Laurie had received a patient who had been a code purple in the ED. The 80-year-old male was playing tennis with friends when he passed out. EMS brought him to the ED and a code purple was called due to the EKG changes and an elevated troponin. Luckily he did not require any cardiac stents.

If the patient did not present any complications post-procedure he would be cleared to discharge home. Laurie continued to notice the patient did not seem well. He was very short of breath with minimal exertion and that did not sit well with Laurie. She expressed her concerns to the nurse practitioners. The nurse practitioner did not seem impressed with his symptoms and recommended he follow up at his appointment in a week. Laurie asked our other nurse practitioner and begged her to come and assess him. Laurie said to me, "I am not trying to overreact, but I do not feel good about sending him home." The other nurse practitioner agreed with Laurie’s concerns and reached out to the doctor who ordered a d-dimer be drawn and if the result was positive the patient would require a further workup.

The blood work came back very elevated and concerning for a pulmonary embolus. Laurie trusted her instincts and used her nursing knowledge to advocate for her patient which may have saved his life. She never left her patient’s side. She spoke softly and empathetically when updating him on his plan of care. She reassured him and explained all the efforts being taken to treat him. Laurie has a heart of gold and is truly one of a kind. I feel so honored to have her as a co-worker.