Nicole was my husband's nurse on many of my husband's 16 days in the hospital throughout the past month and a half. 
A couple of days into his first 7-day inpatient stay, Nicole noticed that I was having a breakdown of sorts. She sat with me, consoled me, talked me through it, and hugged me genuinely afterward, priceless!!! That meant the world to me and I'll cherish that moment forever! 
That moment proved Nicole not only takes great pride in her job but proved she has true compassion for her patients AND their families. 
A couple of weeks later when my husband was in the hospital again, and I had been having issues with his feeding tube and was at my wit's end. Nicole listened, yet again when others just pretended to. She literally acted upon it, stepped up to the plate, and put in an order to actually fix the problem! 
These two separate occasions make Nicole a great, compassionate, and knowledgeable nurse, deserving an award.