Connie is "that nurse" who never says no and can always be counted on when there is an unexpected census surge. She has come in during the middle of the night countless times over the years because she is dedicated to the team and to the community.
A recent example was on a Thursday around midnight on an unusually busy shift. The unit only had two labor nurses to care for 4 actively laboring patients. One had a set of twins (one breech) and another wanted a water birth. Connie was the only nurse to answer her phone and agreed to come in, even though it was her day off. Her patient experienced a water birth and a safe delivery because Connie agreed to come in. Three of these labor patients delivered within 8 minutes of each other and one of them was an emergent c-section, making it a nearly impossible situation to manage.
Connie is a gifted labor and delivery nurse. She is often times mentioned as being appreciated during leader rounding on patients. Patients state they feel at ease with Connie because she is very experienced and serious about providing quality care. She has also been a preceptor to numerous nurses. Connie is an excellent role model and teaches them evidence based practice. She is a wealth of knowledge and is always willing to share that wisdom with the newer nurses. But, at the same time, she does so with humility. She is always acknowledged by the nurses that she precepts for providing a thorough experience.
Connie always comes into work with a smile and is ready to do any job from helping set up rooms, to cleaning, and labor and delivery. She will certainly be missed when she retires at the end of this year!