Mackenzie is an RN on the Stepdown Unit at Avon Hospital. She may be small, but she is mighty! She is a novice nurse but is growing by leaps and bounds. There are several situations where I’ve witnessed her doing fantastic things but I’d like to tell you about one in particular. On a recent night, Mackenzie was floated to a regular medical floor where she assumed care of a very sick patient. Mackenzie has exceptional assessment skills and upon assessment of this patient, she knew right away the patient needed a higher level of care. Initially, hospital medicine planned to transfer the patient to the Stepdown Unit, but Mackenzie knew the best place for the patient was actually the ICU. Despite having several other patients and being on a floor that wasn’t her “home base” Mackenzie still advocated for this patient to ensure she received the care she needed/deserved. In fact, it was me that Mackenzie called that night asking for the patient to come to ICU instead of Stepdown. It was because of Mackenzie's persistence in advocating for her patient that the patient came to ICU that night. Mackenzie is the kind of nurse any of us would want – she is caring, compassionate, has excellent assessment skills - and if nothing else is persistent in getting her patients the care they need/deserve. The DAISY award was created in honor of Patrick Barnes for the excellent care and compassion he received from his nurses.  Just like Mackenzie-  a nurse who doesn’t just “do her job” but does it with kindness and compassion. What is exciting to me about Mackenzie is she is a novice nurse who is proud of her profession and takes pride in how she cares for her patients. Imagine all the great things Mackenzie will accomplish as the years go by not to mention all the lives she will touch!