April started working in the OR in January of 2013. She began as a circulating nurse. She quickly stood out as a proficient circulator and I always enjoyed being in the same room with her or taking call with her. She consistently took great care of her scrubs and surgeons and was adept at picking up patient issues which would impact their anesthesia and surgical care.
Her leadership skills and dedication have allowed her to now work as the charge nurse for the OR. I cannot adequately express her dedication, willingness to work over, and do whatever is required to make the day happen and make the OR run as smoothly as possible.
Many medical leaders or middle-management personnel lose their clinical skills and become detached from those "in the trenches". This is not so for April. Daily she's staying on top of running the board, interacting between Anesthesia and Surgical Staff, coordinating surgical product representatives, retrieving in-patients and circulating, or even scrubbing in if required.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for April and believe she is so worthy of recognition from Hospital Administration. She is the type of nursing leader that we need to exhort, embrace, and keep in the family.