I had Tanya as my nurse in the CVICU after I had open-heart surgery. I was in quite a lot of pain due to the JP drains and the pain medicine I was getting at the time was not effective at controlling my pain. In the morning when she took over, I told her and she immediately got it switched to medicine that was not as strong but more effective for that type of pain which was exactly what I wanted and needed. She was incredibly knowledgeable about my condition and was training an employee new to the unit the day I had her. Not only would she explain why and how to do everything to him in detail, but she also explained everything before she did it to me, which relieved a lot of my anxiety and helped to answer all the questions my family had.
When I woke up in the ICU, my very long hair was incredibly matted to the point that my family thought I may have to cut it. Since at the time my doctors did not want me raising my arms or reaching behind my back, I was unable to brush my hair and was worried it would get worse. She took it upon herself, without me or anyone asking, to brush every single knot out of my hair in her spare time instead of just sitting at the desk. Her prioritization skills are impeccable. Not only was she there for me every time I needed her, but she was able to train her co-worker and still find time to go above and beyond to take care of something important to me. She was not only a skillful and caring nurse, but she was also funny which helped lighten the mood and somebody with great advice. She will probably not remember me since I can tell she treats all of her patients with the same amount of love, but I won't forget her.