Michele Shores consistently demonstrates a high caliber of compassionate care at all times in her nursing practice. I began working for Harrison a few years ago as a new graduate resident nurse in the Versant Residency program. Michelle has graciously answered countless questions of mine since that time, and to this day she still guides me in best practice decisions and skills with a genuine smile and positiveattitude.
One of the first shifts that I worked, I was about to discharge a young woman who hadsadly just experienced a miscarriage. Michelle took the time to show me where I could find a package of materials to provide to the patient to help guide her through her grief process. This included community bereavement resources and most memorably, a book of poetry specifically related to this type of loss with blank pages for the patient to write upon. When I presented it to the patient, she expressed gratitude for our recognition of her loss in such a special way. No other staff member on the unit had shown me these items, and it struck me as inspirational that she had the foresight to consider the best way to help this patient begin to heal once she was gone from the department and no longer in our care. She is intuitive in assessing what type of needs a patient has beyond their physical presentation. Often timesin our Emergency Department, the unspoken needs need to be healed themost. Michelle is a strong advocate for women, children, and victims of assault, as demonstrated by her role as a SANE nurse. Patients, family, and staff trust Michelle because of her commitment to providing outstanding patient care.
I trust Michelle as a valuable resource and team player in a critical care setting because of her diligence in providing safe, non-judgmental, and open lines of communication with staff and patients. Working as a registered nurse here at Harrison since 2006, Michelle has developed into a strong and respected nurse leader by continually pursuing a highereducation. She has earned amaster's degree in nursing and in business for healthcare. She is giving back to her nursing community in her new role as a professor of nursing at Olympic Community College. Michelle strives to provide a safe place for students to ask any questions and to be themselves. She is helping them develop into confident, caring providers with her transformational leadership style. She obtained her advanced Certified Emergency Nurse certification last year, demonstrating her commitment to excellence. This is in additional to TNCC, ACLS, and PALS.
Michelle is also a TNCC instructor. On our unit, she has served as a preceptor and charge nurse. I enjoy working with Michelle as charge because she takes an active role in working with the team, not only delegating care but providing it as well. She is a go-to resource for higher critical care tasks such as ultrasound IV starts. She responds quickly to find solutions in challenging situations, yet she takes the time to listen to you and make certain that you understand the purpose and results of your actions.
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I wanted to share with you another positive experience I encountered with Michelle Shores as charge nurse this past weekend. We got slammed, and I had a few critical patients. Notonly did Michelle send help my way, but when I walked out to prepare to send my other patient to Harborview, she said, "I will get your patient to Harborview." I knew she would, and she did. You may not be able to get a grasp on the significance of that, but it was tremendously helpful and I was able to provide good care to my other sick patients. She was incredible that night. I have so much respect for and trust in her. She is so incredible at the job of charge nurse, always helpful and positive.
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Michelle, you are an inspiration to me because you are an outstanding nurse and a genuinely caring healthcare provider who continually seeks ways to grow. Most importantly, you share that insight graciously with others.
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I am a new licensed practical nurse, but have worked as a tech in the Emergency Department for the past two years. In that time,I have had the privilege of working alongside of Michelle Shores. I have seen firsthand the compassionate and knowledgeable nurse that she is. When I was going through nursing school, I always had help from registered nurses in the Emergency Department, especially Michelle. She would sit down with me one-on-one to help me better understand difficult nursing material. She constantly gave me new perspectives and turned every moment into a teaching one.
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Michelle and I have always worked well as a team, but one night in particular stands out to me. We were working graveyard and we were leaving a patient's room when we saw a patient's wife run outof the room yelling that her husband needed help. We rushed in and immediately Michelle took action. She looked at the monitor and saw that the patient had gone into V-fib. She lowered the head of the bed and started compressions while I hooked the patient up to pads/crash cart. Michelle initiated the code and had the whole team behind her in seconds. Her ability toread and identify the cardiac arrhythmia and move quickly saved that man's life.
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Michelle is the definition of extraordinary nurse. She connects with the patients and their familieson so many levels. Anyone who works with her knows that she genuinely caresabout every single patient. Michelle consistently goes above and beyond what is expected, and it shows. Not only is she a part of a team, but she is a leader.
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Michelle is the most compassionate nurse that I've ever met. She consistently provides excellent patient care, displaying empathy and patience. I've never seen her frustrated or lose her cool. She is a wonderful leader, a great support to co-workers, and always has time to teach and give feedback. She is innovative and a great problem solver. She exemplifies the best of the nursing profession and makes me want to grow as a registered nurse and emulate her practice. She's kind to her co-workers and is a great leader. Michelle is always positive in every situation. She is a perfect Emergency Department nurse! All of the staff members respect her for the compassionate person she is.