Sara exemplifies professionalism, superb clinical skills, empathy, compassion and does it all with grace and humor. She is never looking for the pat on the back; she does what she does because that is who she is and that's what she does every day.
Sara recently cared for a patient on our unit who came in neglected, abused, and abandoned. APS was consulted and Sara and several other nurses nursed this patient back to health. After discharge, Sara was asked to go to court to protect the patient and make her a ward of the state. On her day off, Sara without hesitation drove to the courthouse in Rockland County to testify on behalf of this patient. She was nervous and she wanted to review the chart, but Sara told me she knew she had to do this. She had to help this patient one last time and do whatever she could to prevent her from going back to the deplorable, inhumane conditions that the patient came from. Sara's case was postponed and she never once was upset that she "went all that way" or "that this was a waste of time". Instead, Sara was ready when the case was rescheduled so she could testify to help this poor patient.
Everyday Sara comes to work she delivers the best care that she can and the focus is always about what she can do to help the patients she cares for. Thank you, Sara, because when I look at you I remember why I became a nurse!