I recently got the privilege of working closely with Susan Bladen in the CVICU while taking care of a critically ill patient on Bi-VAD support. She had an acute decompensation over the night while I was the provider on shift. During this entire time, the patient was coherent but could tell that something was happening. Susan was able to stay calm through the entire process, explain things to the patient, and even at one point hold her hand during the chaos. She never once talked over the patient while she was in the room and always made sure she was included in the conversations we were having. During the next day, the patient was moved onto comfort care, so when we came back that night we knew it had been an emotional day for everyone. This is where Susan became exceptional. Despite the past two nights of non-stop orders by the ICU team, frequent blood transfusions, multiple re-positioning's in bed, and lack of sleep, she was able to make the last few nights the patient experienced the best she could. Despite the patient being on comfort care, she still wanted to be able to see her heart rate and blood pressure on the screen AND also hear her VAD alarms. Susan always made sure she was able to see the screen and put the alarms at a volume that was comfortable for her. Even with all the machines, wires, and pumps in the room, Susan rearranged everything so the patient could see her husband in the chair and also see outside because it put her at ease. Although some may see it as frustrating when your patient constantly refuses anxiety medication despite them looking anxious, Susan was extremely respectful of her wishes and did not excessively offer pain/anxiety medication. I can say that if I was ever in a situation that brought me to the CVICU, I would feel lucky to have Susan as my nurse. She is an amazing resource yet is very humble about her knowledge, and she always makes her patients feel safe and at ease.