Laura Morin serves as one of CVCU's extraordinary ANMs. In that role she readily shares her expert cardiac intensive care clinical skills with all staff. She holds staff accountable to providing the highest quality of care and does this by leading by example. If Laura is caring for a patient, they are receiving the most up to date, evidence based practice available. She routinely is the charge nurse for CVCU and serves as an expert resource nurse for the unit as well. Mostly in her ANM role she uses those expert clinical skills to help develop the staff that work for our unit. She recently helped re-write our post open heart recovery manual, and part of the course that we use to train staff to care for this specialized group of patients. She wrote those sections so well that when it came time to present the manual and teach the class, and Laura was graciously working night shift to cover for staff shortages, another expert clinician was able to follow what she wrote to present a meaningful education to our staff.

In looking at how Laura provides compassionate care, you have to look at both how she interacts with our patients and families and how she cares for our staff. For patients and families Laura will go out of her way to meet their physical and emotional needs. Just yesterday, while she was in charge, I noticed her in multiple interactions, each of which started with the question "What do you need and how can I help you?" I am not sure that Laura is even aware of her approach, it is just a natural part of the way she interacts with our patients and families. In looking at how she cares for our staff, she is a huge emotional support and ensures that each of us feels cared for no matter our role. For example in the past year or two she made trips up to the airport in her off time to pick up family members for members of our staff who had other family members ill and hospitalized.

She routinely covers short shifts, either day or night, to ensure that we are always well staffed. If she knows that the unit is having a particularly hard shift, she calls in to find out how she can help if she isn't here, or if she is here she is out on the floor providing leadership, physical and emotional support to the whole team.

In the past year I had a patient who was dying for 2 days, and the last few hours of their life were not pleasant. Laura was in charge for that day. When my patient expired, I asked Laura, how much time do I have before I need to take on another assignment. She looked at me and asked "how much time do you need? I'll do my best to make sure you get it." This made me feel like she fully supported my emotional needs, as well as the needs of the unit and patients.

In terms of exemplary service, Laura leads the way in leadership rounding, interacting with patients and families to discover what their needs and goals are and then helping to meet those needs and goals. As noted above she goes out of her way to help staff as well.

Laura has a continued commitment to excellence. To further develop her leadership role she is taking a nurse executive course up in Portland. She holds both her CCRN and two CVRN specialty nursing certifications. She keeps up to date on the latest evidence relating to our specialty and shares that information willingly with our leadership team and our staff. When changes in practice are needed Laura ensures that they occur and are evidence based. She recently worked with an interdisciplinary group to correct our CV Surgery order sets so that the current standards of care were included, and to make it clear when Foley Catheters are to be discontinued to meet both SCIP protocol and our CAUTI prevention measures. I know that if I have a clinical question I can get an accurate and up to date response from Laura.

Mostly, whenever I work with Laura, I feel safe and protected as a clinician. She holds me to the highest standards of practice while always working to those same high standards. She is well versed in our organizational strategies and lean methodologies. She supports me beyond my clinical practice and I know that whenever I need her she will try to be there. Thank you for considering Laura for this prestigious award.