... It is Jaclyn Morrow's patience, genuine caring, and dedication to delivering the highest quality of care that has earned this award. Everyday "nurse Jackie" comes to work, she brings all her knowledge as an OR nurse as well as her compassion to each and every one of her patients.

Jaclyn works in the Patient Receiving Area (PRA), where we admit patients right before surgery. Understandably, our patient's emotions run high; many people are nervous, anxious, and it can be a very stressful environment for patients and family members. But "nurse Jackie" greets all of her patients with a soothing voice and reassuring smile putting them instantly at ease. When family members are called back to join patients in the PRA, Jackie will always go over to the patient and meet the family, keeping everyone informed on the plan of care. Everyone's nerves decrease with Jackie as the preop nurse.

Before working in the PRA, Jackie worked as an OR nurse. Oftentimes, this position involves working as a nurse liaison in the patient/family surgical waiting lounge. I recall her many stories when she worked as a liaison, rising above and beyond her responsibilities, in order to comfort patient's families. However, one particular event stands out:

Jackie participated in a vigil for a patient with the family in the hospital chapel. Jackie was working one day and relayed information to a family about their sick loved one in the OR. The family was so worried that they decided on holding a vigil in the chapel, and invited Jackie to join them. The family was so relieved to have someone present from the healthcare team and was touched by Jackie's dedication. The patient recovered well from surgery, and Jackie left a lasting impression on the family, when their need was the greatest.

Jackie has exceeded her duties many times in the PRA. One day, an inpatient arrived to our unit and instantly Jackie knew something was wrong. She called the family back to inquire about the patient's mental status. Upon further questioning, Jackie realized the patient's condition was changing. She placed the patient on telemetry and discovered the patient was in rapid afib. A rapid response was called. This event was also coinciding with Jackie's lunch break. Other nurses told Jackie to go on break, as the charge nurse would be covering her assignment. However, Jackie refused to go saying, "I don't care, I will give up my lunch break. I am not leaving an unstable patient!" The rapid response team arrived and stabilized the patient, but Jackie would not leave the patient until he was settled and transferred back to the inpatient unit. Whereas some nurses would have left the patient, in the very capable hands of a charge nurse, this instance speaks volumes of Jackie's dedication to patients under her care.

... Tuesdays are typically our busiest days; therefore, have the nickname "terrible Tuesday" in periop. We had a patient, whose surgery was canceled very late in the evening, he was going to be admitted to the hospital, and the surgery was rescheduled for a Thursday. This particular Thursday would be Jackie's last day of work before vacation. Most of us would be running out the door at the end of the work day before vacation, especially a 12 hour one, but "nurse Jackie" is different. She stayed, after working all day, to visit the patient and see how his surgery went. Although the patient was sleeping, his wife was at bedside and was so happy to see Jackie. She was so touched by Jackie's visit.

I have never met someone who advocated for a patient so fiercely as Jackie. When patients have questions on the day of surgery, she utilizes her knowledge of OR nursing to best answer questions, but whatever she can't answer she will call the surgical team and have them see the patient at bedside, no matter what the circumstance. She will just reassure the patient and make him/her feel as comfortable as possible before surgery. Jackie is so thorough and pays such close attention to detail as well. Sometimes she can drive her coworkers a little crazy, but Jackie simply shrugs it off and says "I would rather someone yell at me for questioning them, rather than yelling at me for something I missed."

Jackie's concern for patients' wellbeing doesn't end when she sends them to the OR. I will often hear her call into the OR to see how a patient's surgery is going or follow up with the anesthesiologist to see how a patient did during surgery. No one is surprised with her questions, we all know this is Jackie's caring personality. She even goes as far as informing her patients when she is going to lunch, but is considerate to patients and families, who haven't eaten all day, by saying she is "stepping off the unit" and who is covering her assignment while she is away.

Our character as nurses is often defined, not when we have "easier" patients to care for, but more difficult, argumentative patients. One time, while I was still on orientation, we had a difficult patient, who was already angry about having a later scheduled surgery, not to mention it was delayed and the patient was starving (or "hangry" as I say) from not eating all day, and she was without pain medication for most of the day. The patient was very disagreeable and screaming, disturbing other patients as well as threatening to just leave the PRA! But Jackie remained calm and tried her best to appease the patient. She never raised her voice to the patient to avoid further aggravating her. She called into the OR to expedite the case and explained the situation, called anesthesia to have the patient consented so the patient could get pain medications before surgery. She also delegated to the nursing assistant to have the patient's belongings secured in the ER safe. It was Jackie's intervention and guidance that made the process run smoother. By the time we sent the patient to the OR, she may have still been "hangry" but at least Jackie convinced the patient to stay for surgery!

Jaclyn Morrow inspires all of us to work harder, pay closer attention to details, and show patients compassion when they are most vulnerable, or challenging. She encourages us to come to work everyday and put patient's needs first. She reminds all of us just how crucial the role nurses play in the periop department.