Madysen L Vanatter, RN

Mady is an excellent critical care nurse whose caring and compassionate demeanor has been making a difference for patients in our unit since she started her career. Mady sets her RICH TIES — Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Healing, Teamwork, Innovation, Excellence and Stewardship — values into action every shift. For example, she recently had a patient who was admitted to the ICU in critical condition. The patient and family quickly decided to pursue comfort and end-of-life care. The patient has a son who is in the military and is stationed in Korea. The family used FaceTime so the son could say goodbye to his mom. Unsatisfied with this virtual goodbye, Mady called the Red Cross. She stayed on the phone for over two hours as her call was transferred to different people to arrange for the Red Cross to facilitate the son's ability to come and say goodbye. Within hours the family was notified that he was on a plane headed for the states. Because of Mady, a member of our military will get to see his mom one more time. This is not the only example of Mady's excellence – it's just a small glimpse into what she does for those lucky enough to have her as their nurse. Mady maintains a level of integrity and honesty for every patient she cares for. She represents what it means to be a Mayo Clinic nurse. I'm proud to work alongside her. Watching her with patients inspires me to be better. She shows great respect not only for patients but also for family members and fellow staff.