As a Sanford/Aberdeen patient at the Clinic since 2009, and at the Hospital since 2012, it's been my experience and privilege to get to know many of the nurses, many of whom are extraordinary and could be considered for this Award. The Sanford organization should be congratulated for the excellent nursing staff you have assembled here in Aberdeen! I have chosen to nominate a small group of nurses who, in my opinion, go "above and beyond" their assigned tasks each and every day.

Since not long after the Hospital opened, I have spent one to two hours in their care on an average of probably once every two weeks.The small group of nurses who serve in this area are truly extraordinary. They provide for patients who need out-patient services such as IV fluids and/or medications and tend to pre-op as well as post-recovery room surgical patients. I have noticed that they have very little "downtime". On busy surgical days, they are in constant motion. When a new patient enters the Center, they prepare the room, get the required supplies and medications, communicate with the patient's provider to see if there are any changes in their orders, while welcoming the patient, putting them at ease, and making them comfortable. And, because they each are working with a number of patients at the same time, they need to be moving from room to room making sure that all of the equipment is working properly.

Near the end of the day, a clinic provider may send a patient to the Patient Center just as the last nurses were preparing to leave for the day. Not one of them hesitates, but they prepare for this new patient and stay as long as required. These nurses are very skilled and efficient. And, they have learned to work together. During my early visits to the Patient Center, I learned just how much they work together to not only save time but to serve the patient. If I needed something and would activate my "call button", I was surprised that a nurse would appear at my door within seconds. I found out that the call was answered by whichever nurse was close to my room. Even if the closest nurse was not the nurse that had been tending to me, the closest nurse came into my room, and in almost all cases, did not wait for, or contact my original nurse, but just did whatever I needed. It didn't matter if it was something simple like getting me a blanket, or something time-consuming like de-accessing my "port" and discharging me, they did it all for each other.

Here are three examples of these nurses doing more than expected:

I have a "port" placed in my upper chest to receive IV fluids and medicines. With my above-average need to have IV fluids and medicines, it eliminates the need to constantly have my arms poked. Over the years, I have had a number of ports. I once had a new port, which had been placed by a surgeon at another hospital in Aberdeen. The first time I was in the Sanford Patient Center after this port had been placed, one of the nurses thought something didn't "feel right". I was impressed by how quickly she made the decision not to use the port but started a normal IV for me so that I could get started receiving what I needed. Then, without hesitation, she called the surgeon's office at the other hospital, explained what had happened, and explained what she thought was wrong, and asked them what she should do. They thanked her for her actions and asked that I come to them the next day. There was a problem with the port, but they corrected it, and I was fine. I know that any of the nurses in this area would have done the same. They are on top of their "game". They know how to make decisions.

I had a biopsy to determine if I had prostate cancer. A day later I ended up back in the Sanford CCU. Very, very sick because of a reaction. I was there for about 4 days. During that time, every one of the Patient Center nurses came in to see me. Sometimes I knew they were there, sometimes I didn't. They met my wife and my two sons. I don't think they ever think of one of their patients as just a patient. They care about the people they care for.

Only a few weeks ago, I again saw how these nurses go above and beyond their expected duties. I had a clinic appointment, and my provider had been heavily scheduled for the day. With a few appointments taking longer than normal, my appointment ended at almost 6 pm. My provider ordered fluids and meds for me, and I went to the Hospital. The Nurse Supervisor looked for a different area for me to receive what I needed because the Patient Center had closed. When I got to that area, which was now sometime later than the Patient Center had closed, I was surprised to find one of the Patient Center nurses there waiting for me. I asked her what she was doing there since she should have left quite some time ago. She told me that the nurses in this area where I had been directed to were not really familiar with the type of port I had, so she had decided to stay until I got there, so that she could access the port. I could give many more examples of these nurses being exceptional and extraordinary. They are no longer just nurses. They are friends. They ask about my grandchildren, I ask about their children.  They are true ambassadors for Sanford/ Aberdeen in this region of the state.