Pam Chicurel is a staff nurse on Psychiatry, Neiken 4 and, without question, plays an informal leadership role within the nursing staff. She does so by reflecting the dynamic conflicts that often develop among the staff and between staff and patients. She uses her well-developed sense of process and interpersonal understanding to assist other nurses in their patient relationships. Other staff often turn to her when difficulties arise in their ability to work with challenging patients.

She approaches patients and families with her soft positive attitude and engages them in an alliance. Her creative thinking and her connection with both patients and staff often bridges the gap of conflict. She shares the trust she is able to establish with troubles families so that others are eventually brought into the therapeutic relationships used to heal.

The ability is acknowledged among the staff and, as such, others are able to accept criticism and direction from Pam. She often brings to the discussion the emotions patients elicit - especially when focused on anger, frustration and helplessness. Because she generates effective discussion when there is conflict, she is an able collaborator, voice of reason, and informal supervisor.

In her work with individual patients, Pam is warm and personally generous. Recently, on the unit, there was a patient whose borderline personality had inflamed and split the staff. Pam was able to bring the staff's anger and frustration to discussion, after which the participants joined her in their ability to understand and to give.