I am unable to count the number of times I have seen Shannon make a difference for patients and her teammates. Every single day, no matter the circumstances, she comes to work with positivity, humor, and an absolute dedication to making a difference for those around her.
On one occasion, I was speaking to a patient's distressed daughter, concerned that her elderly mother was going to have a post-op medical emergency if she was not examined that day. After a morning of continuous, panicked phone calls, she felt as if she was not being heard by clinical staff in our and other departments about her mother's concerns and, exhaustedly, tried calling our department one more time. I was unable to reach other clinical staff through my "usual channels", so I called Shannon as a last effort. Not only did she stop what she was doing immediately to speak with the patient's daughter, but she made it her absolute priority to assist and prevent the patient from having to visit the ER unnecessarily. Though this sounds like a somewhat simple situation, the flood of relief and absolute gratitude that washed over the patient's daughter was incredible. With her simple act of dedication and kindness, Shannon prevented the patient from going to the ER and brought significant peace to a daughter struggling to help her ailing mother. This is not a unique occurrence for Shannon - She takes ownership of every concern brought before her and sees each situation through to the end. I have never, once, heard her say that she is too busy, or has something more important to take care of, or that a patient "can wait." After fully assisting the patient she is with, she moves back to her previous task without a beat. I often joke that there must be two or three of her because she is so present, efficient, accurate, caring, and effortlessly funny and kind. I have never seen a person do so much in a day while doing their job so fantastically.
Shannon is one of the most fantastic, caring people I have ever had the honor to meet and she is the picture of what nursing should be. On the roughest of days, her phenomenal patient care never falters. Even during the times, she still has enough love and kindness to spare to cheer up a or lend a helping hand to a teammate in need. The world would be a more beautiful place if there were, in fact, more Shannons running around because her genuine concern for other human beings is radiant and awe-inspiring. Shannon is a shining star and deserves to be recognized for her honesty, integrity, dedication, and all-around awesome care, provided to everyone she meets. She is absolutely my hero.