"The Twins" Veronica Anderson and Victoria Appel are the heart and soul of the Mother Baby night shift. They started at Women and Infants in 2018 as volunteers, in 2019 they progressed and became student interns while completing nursing school at Rhode Island College and working full time. In 2020, the pandemic came, and the twins began their careers as RNs on 5E nights. Entering the profession at a very difficult time, the twins rose to the challenge and quickly became assets to the Mother Baby team. With many senior nurses leaving the bedside, Veronica and Victoria were soon taking on precepting and charge responsibilities. I met the twins in 2021 when they were my preceptors for 5E nightshift. I was the most nervous orientee imaginable, and as new grads themselves, the twins mentored me with maturity and competence well beyond their year of experience.

Veronica and Victoria have always been passionate advocates for patients and staff alike. When we had hard nights, I would clock out feeling overwhelmed, but by the time I had driven home, I could count on receiving an encouraging text from them, usually with new ideas about how we can make our unit a better place. The twins' support is what helped me to grow into this role and love the work we do here.

Since then, I have watched Veronica and Victoria orient and mentor a dozen cohorts of new graduates with the same level of compassion. The nurses on night shift can attest that the twins have been central to creating a positive and supportive culture on 5 East, ultimately benefiting the families we care for.