Debbie Sims is a nurse that inspires me, and challenges me to be a better nurse despite her being a relatively new nurse. Every day I hear her question when she observes something that does not make sense to her. She is so dedicated to her patients and pays such attention to detail that rarely does anything get missed while she is on duty. She takes what she learned in nursing school and asks: why aren't we doing it that way? She wants to know the rationale for patient care decisions and is determined to provide that patient with the best care possible. I have heard her say many times: what if this was my mother or sister or friend or son.

Debbie had completed three discharges, and two admissions; she had a patient with a traumatic brain injury who was very forgetful and needed much repetition. He came to the nurse's window on the average of every 20 minutes for the preceding hours to ask the same question which she softly and patiently answered in great detail each time. Another patient of hers was acting "differently", so she got up to go and do an assessment on that elderly patient that really wasn't communicating well, (just holding her chest). She trusted her instincts and called medical to get an EKG which was positive. Simultaneously, another patient needed consents signed for medication, but no one was able to find a number for a relative who was assigned to be the patient's health care surrogate. I saw her be creative trying to call neighbors and pastor and other possible sources to find the number she needed so this patient could get their medications. And in the midst of this chaos, she offered to help another nurse with her crisis, and even discovered that a patient she was discharging had an old script from an initial ED visit in the chart, and thought to confirm whether it needed to be given or ignored. She never once raised her voice or neglected to be calm, caring and compassionate to both her patients and her peers.

Extraordinary compassion: Patients who are challenging and manipulative still get quality attention, care with softness and kindness in her tone and voice. She will stop what she is doing at any given time to assist patients even when their demands are unreasonable. She is very patient with the repetitiveness that often comes with psychosis and mania.

I have seen her discover inconsistencies in care and never judge or criticize or assign blame. She puts her energies into fixing the dilemma. And the very moment she is caught up with her activities, she routinely goes to search out a staff member asking them if there is something she can do to help them.

She provides more than the minimal mandatory care to patients by giving them information on new skills and coping and tries to help them problem-solve their day-to-day struggles.

She is committed to excellence. She is never afraid to stand up for and advocate for patients even when she meets resistance from the process, the system, or even other healthcare professionals.

I nominate her because most of what she does is not seen by the patient, in that so many of her patients have cognitive deficits, are manic, psychotic, depressed or delirious. Those patients typically do not remember who took care of them at their worst, and would not be able to write a letter of praise. I see her and her superb care and feel she deserves the encouragement that this award would give her. She is what a nurse should be.