I have known Lindsay for years and have watched her grow from the novice nurse to a seasoned professional on the Maternity Suites unit. She clearly demonstrates professionalism in her interactions with her patients and peers. She exemplifies service excellence with her patients and this is noted in the Spirit of the Mission notes from patients about her caring nature. She seeks opportunities for continued learning and is currently attending a Master's program in Women's Health. She brings those new learnings back to our unit in her dealings with patients. Lindsay appropriately seeks guidance from management and works to exceed unit expectations. She has high expectations for herself and carries that forward in how she goes the extra mile for the patients entrusted to her. Lindsay truly enjoys her work on our unit and it shows in her kindness to her patients, which is very appreciated by them. Due to advanced maternal age, raising rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiac problems, Maternity Suites can experience higher acuity levels than days gone by, as patients present not only with existing health problems, but also problems unknown that are exacerbated by the postpartum period. Lindsay recognizes this risk and is very diligent in her ongoing assessments of patient conditions.

I had the pleasure of working along side of Lindsay in the care of a very obese, insulin dependent diabetic patient. The patient was able to ambulate well, had good pain control, and had no breathing problems earlier in the day. The patient had been labeled as "difficult socially" during shift report and Lindsay made a big effort to bond with the patient and the patient's mother. The patient's mother was also chronically ill and difficult to hear/understand but Lindsay made the effort. I think this extra effort was rewarded, as the patient did not want to go to a higher level of care. Lindsay was able to verbalize to the patient how important it was to be more closely monitored and did everything to keep the patient calm, yet provide factual information on the patient's condition.

What brought Lindsay to action was receiving a "typical" phone call. The patient was talking in a much weaker voice, asked for a cup of ice. Lindsay immediately responded as she felt the patient has "something in her voice that didn't sound right." Lindsay found the patient sitting on the couch "not feeling" well. Lindsay took one look at the patient and thought "something just isn't right" and had doubts that the symptoms would be attributed only to medication taken one hour prior. The patient downplayed her breathing and chest pain. Lindsay called for assistance and began a more in depth assessment of the patient. The patient's blood pressure was stable but the oxygen saturation had fallen to dangerous levels and she remained tachycardiac. Lindsay was able to tell her peers succinctly what she needed from them in a very calm manner, focusing on how upset the patient was getting with the new flurry of activity in the room. After having blood sugars drawn, starting oxygen, getting the patient back into bed, and providing ongoing monitoring of the patient's status, Lindsay remained with the patient and communicated to her peers what her other patients would need. Lindsay continued to communicate with her managers and peers, while the patient needed increasing amounts of oxygen to maintain normal oxygen saturation levels. Lindsay interceded to manage who was coming to see the patient and never left her side. She continued to succinctly ask for help while the time needed to have physician assessment was longer than anticipated. A decision was made to transfer the patient to a monitored bed after x-ray studies and nuclear scans, Lindsay accompanied the patient. The patient was later found to have cardiomegaly, congestive heart failure, with a pulmonary embolus.

Lindsay puts the patient first. She is always vigilant in her care. She knows what good nursing care is supposed to look like. She constantly challenges herself to do better, always wants to learn more, and takes the "job" as more than a job, but as a calling. She is someone who pushes the bar higher on our unit and it is a pleasure to watch her grow into the unit leader that she is.