Michelle Ridore, RN

There's no way to know how your child will look, and feel, after major surgery.

When I entered the unit and came around the curtain to first view my daughter after her double-jaw surgery, her eyes were closed. I was so overwhelmed by seeing her swollen, and hooked up to all the machines, that I immediately burst out crying.

Michelle, the nurse who was right at her side, gave me a big, caring hug, telling me she was doing just fine. She continued to reassure both my husband and me when we visited this ward over the next couple of hours until my daughter was assigned a room for her one-night stay.

Michelle even talked with us all the way to the new ward, a compassionate presence that reassured us all would be ok. She gave me one last big hug before leaving us in the new room.

I am nominating her because a floor nurse, in their most perfect form, is not only competent, able to handle fast-moving situations, and a good communicator.

No, in their most perfect form, they also remember that every layperson who walks in is walking into a new environment, one filled with unknowns and worries. That nurse can remember that even though they do this all the time, the patient and their family do not.

The perfect nurse has empathy and takes the time to express that empathy in moments of need.

Michelle did just that with our family!