It is enough for us to see Nicole coming in at the beginning of her shift with a kind smile on her face (always!) to immediately start feeling better and know that we will be well taken care of. Nicole is beautiful inside and out, always answers all my questions and makes sure we have all we need. She always knows what medicines we need to take and when, always comes in before the infusions are completed to avoid beeping and is great in everything she does!
Nicole knows that my son prefers when I help with the vital sign checks and she makes sure he is as comfortable as possible. She is always gentle and kind even if my son is fussy at night. I think Nicole is genuinely interested in knowing me and my son better. Nicole has a great sense of humor and always smiles when my son does or says something silly like he wants to keep a pull-sock on when he doesn't have to.
Nicole always explains what lab tests are due and what their results might mean. If she doesn't know the answer right away (rare occasion!) she would make sure that the doctor explains things to me or my concerns are passed along to her fellow nurse to bring them up at rounds.
Nicole always impresses me by how carefully she is planning the timing and order of things that need to be done during the night; for example, she works very hard to make sure we start one infusion an hour before midnight so that we then smoothly transition into vitals check followed by labs that we prefer to be done right after midnight. We have the best night sleep when Nicole is our nurse!
Nicole always carefully listens to my thoughts on when I would prefer the labs to be drawn, always allows me to help her during the vital checks. I especially appreciate that Nicole carefully reviews the labs that are due to be drawn and lets me know if there are new lab tests ordered (saved us many mls of blood because some of those tests weren't necessary after discussing them with the doctor). Nicole is the best!