Shauna is the epitome of Nursing excellence. She approaches each patient with the whole of her spirit, compassion, and clinical skill. Specifically, she was the Admission Nurse one day and we were transferring a complex dementia patient to the unit, doing a guided walk from his room to the CLC to aid in his comfort with the transition. Shauna learned of this and volunteered to escort this veteran to the CLC herself so she could be a consistent point of contact and comfort for him on his first day on our unit. She took the initiative to identify his psychosocial and Nursing needs and address them with an abundance of kindness and skill. Her efforts allowed this vulnerable veteran some peace during a traumatic time in his life.

She was also an advocate for one of our more challenging patients - an angry and aggressive man with whom many staff was struggling to care for. She approached this challenging situation with compassion and focus. She offered detailed, person-centered holistic care, adapted care to his needs, and took the time to listen to him, despite his agitation and aggression. Because of her effort, she was able to learn about his thoughts and feelings during these outbursts and discovered he was feeling panic with direct care and transfers. She was able to determine that this veteran responded better to fewer staff, even when he was becoming more aggressive. This is in direct opposition to what is usually done for agitated or aggressive patients. Shauna was able to structure his care to reduce episodes of aggression, improve his experience, and utilized psychotropic medication more effectively, which is better for the patient. She was also able to reduce the risk of aspiration in a patient where aspiration was expected because she took the time to spoon-feed him, even though that was not required in his care plan. She found the patient enjoyed it. She created a positive rapport and reduced patient harm. She even was able to troubleshoot the use of straws and assistive cups and never lost her positive attitude, even when this patient threw that cup across the room after she gave it to him.

Shauna’s ability to communicate concepts in critical thinking, Nursing judgment, and whole health approaches to care with her team, especially the providers, is unmatched. I trust her implicitly with the patients she cares for. I'm confident she would always go above and beyond to meet the needs of those she cares for because that's who she is at the core of her being.