Nadia is one of the night shift nurses I get report from when I get to work bright and early at 0700. Nadia is always kind and compassionate and goes out of her way to help patients and her coworkers. Specifically, Nadia helped a patient feel more comfortable after a traumatizing sexual assault by a group of unknown men. The patient was initially labile and hard to console and communicate with. Nadia established a wonderful rapport with her and made her feel more at ease after a horrible event. While Nadia was triaging another patient during the same night, she saw something on him that some would not pick up on. He came to the ED with another complaint. Nadia noticed scratch marks on his body. When Nadia asked about those wounds, he made statements that made her realize this man was one of the assailants who had sexually assaulted the other patient she was caring for. Because of her quick notice, police were contacted, and the patient ended up confessing to the crime directly to the police while still in the ED. He was then discharged to jail in police custody. The patient was not only grateful for the care she received that night but also for Nadia's intuition as an emergency nurse. Nadia is an outstanding nurse, coworker, and friend; she truly cares about those around her.

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Recently, a patient came into our department after having a horrific and traumatic event happen to her. The patient was completely traumatized and in shock after what had just happened to her. Nadia jumped in to care for the patient without hesitation. In the portion of her shift that the patient was under her care, I witnessed Nadia work hard to build trust with this patient, who was untrusting of everyone. Nadia demonstrated exceptional empathy, care, and compassion for this patient during the time she was under her care. I saw Nadia build rapport with the patient by meticulously and continuously assessing the patient’s comfort and needs. Nadia respected the patient’s boundaries and advocated for the best interventions based on the patient's comfort level. In one instance, the patient needed to take her sweatshirt off for an intramuscular medication administration; the patient was terrified and very uncomfortable with taking off her sweatshirt. Nadia listened to the patient’s concern, and with the help of the care team, she found a way to administer the medication without removing her sweatshirt. Nadia continually communicated with the care team about the patient’s needs and concerns. This case was really emotionally heavy and hard for the care team to handle, but I watched Nadia handle it gracefully and exceptionally. The care Nadia gave to this patient and the rapport she built carried on to the next shift, where the patient had the best outcome possible for the situation and was discharged with outside interventions in place. Nadia went above and beyond and deserves recognition.