There is no question in my mind that Regina is absolutely deserving of this award. Regina stepped up into her role from staff RN to ED manager less than a year ago and since then I have been thoroughly impressed by her leadership, her tenacity, her grit, and her loyalty. To say that working in healthcare during a global pandemic is difficult is a broad understatement, but to be in a leadership role during a pandemic on a remote island that’s lasting longer than anyone expected really raises the stakes up a notch.

I think one of the ways that she really models extraordinary leadership behaviors was during the Summer before we got our “FEMA Nurses” and we were operating our department quite short-staffed. I saw Regina show up at 11 pm on a Friday and Saturday night and fill in wherever needed. She worked as the charge nurse, a staff nurse, and even sat where the clerks sits and filed some paperwork, made calls, kept things organized, and carried the department on her back (like any good clerk does). To me, being willing-and actually doing the dirty work of the weekend night shift on top of her other responsibilities is what makes a good leader into a great leader.

Regina has created an environment of trust and respect among our staff by opening up the lines of direct communication and by discouraging needless chatter amongst others. One of the things I appreciate most about Regina is the way she communicates, especially using email which is available to all of us. It can be really hard to talk in person to all of our staff given the nature of shift work and various vacations, so she has taken to keeping us all updated with weekly emails of procedure updates and ED throughput numbers. This absolutely ensures that the information is available to everyone at the same time, and accessible to all of the staff.

Another thing I’ve noticed firsthand is that she’s offered leadership positions (such as charge nurse) to people who wouldn’t normally jump at the opportunity, but she offers it in a way where she’s close by for questions and guidance and has encouraged others to support the ones who are less confident in the position.

One of the unique things she has done to motivate us to all be better is by including Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) questions in her weekly update emails. These questions include anything from trauma-related anatomy to emergent medication or signs and symptoms of classic emergency patient presentations. This fosters an attitude of challenging ourselves to be better, but without any consequences if we don’t get it right. If we do get it right, she’ll give us candy, sure, but more importantly, we’ll have our own satisfaction of knowing answers to difficult questions related to our field of expertise.

Regina has promoted and enhanced the image of nursing by working with her resources to encourage increased staffing and safe patient ratios in the ER during the pandemic. She has advocated for us since day one, and has known all along that increasing staff is the best way to keep us and our patients safe and cared for. She has also encouraged the creativity of my coworkers to decorate and keep our “safety board” updated in a fresh and original way which is in a place that is visible to all staff and patients. She keeps it updated with compliments, COVID numbers, and DAISY Nominees. It's fun to walk by and catch up on the latest news and acclamations.

I know for me personally she has encouraged me to attend extra education opportunities that I have sought out and has helped me attend by moving my schedule around, and I know she does this for anyone else who asks.

Other, little (but big in the eyes of a staff nurse) things she’s done to keep us cheerful and working hard for her, is by taking all of our schedule requests in mind and making them work for each of us. Regina works well with the union rules and regulations, while also working with each of us as an individual to make our schedules work for us. I’ve been very appreciative of all the work she does to keep the department staffed and our personal lives accounted for as well.

I hope that this letter accurately conveys how much she means to our department and especially me. I really hope she is honored because I think it would boost her morale and I know leaders often hear their criticism the loudest, even when it’s only a small percentage of the feedback. I know for certain that I am a better nurse, and I will continue to be a better nurse under her leadership and guidance, and for that I am grateful. Regina is a true DAISY Nurse Leader.