Rachel was professional and personable. She gave us all the information about everything she did as well as made conversation. She was great at communicating through a procedure or time frame. She cared about B as a person and a patient. She was upbeat and fun. She cared about the little things that were important to B and us to make things easier especially when B was under duress or frustrated. She sat with her and talked to her when she was giving her the treatment and expertly dealt with her job functions while getting her to talk about how she was feeling, dealing with B's frustration and being humorous and encouraging all at the same time. It was a skill that she executed so well you would barely notice all that she was doing all at the same time. She could sense when to press and when to back off.

Rachel not only kept B calm but got her to do the hard part of getting her to communicate honestly about how she felt. She acknowledgedged and validated B's strong desire to go home ASAP no matter what and was able to shift her focus from that to what she needs to do right now and some other things she could do to help her in the short term. It went way beyond compassion and empathy. It was building B's confidence to trust while decreasing her anxiety. B's anxiety does not present like typical anxiety and many people miss the subtle and non-typical ways she presents.

Rachel was great with us as parents keeping us informed and breaking the tension. As a side, when Rachel found out B was considering a career in nursing she took a few minutes to offer her some insights there as well. Rachel is an excellent nurse who makes all of the intricacies of what makes her excellent look easy. Among all the excellent caregivers on 9 South, she stands out. She made things better for all of us and embodies all of the qualities you are looking for in this award.

She always had a smile on her face even in the hall. She touched B who is not always an easy person. She did a wonderful job and B was grateful for all she did.