In my role from staff nurse to Interim manager of the ED I cannot be the charge nurse of the unit. taking this role has been stressful and very difficult with more than half the staff on leave. Mr. Kessopa has been an outstanding coworker he has taken control of the unit by coming in at 7 am taking the charge nurse role and leaving at 10:30 pm while traveling from Pennsylvania where he lives with his family. He goes above and beyond for his staff and patients. He has thanked every staff member who came to work every day for the work they put in the day before. I have also seen him fix a broken wheelchair for a patient in ED. this patient had no way of getting home. Kessopa was able to repair the wheels so the veteran was able to get home before dark.

Kessopa functions as the charge nurse triage nurse, the primary nurse caring for Veterans and Therapist for staff especially those drained from working every day tirelessly. Kessopa is also a USMC veteran which allows him to connect on a different level than I ever could. Kessopa's words of encouragement and thank yous have improved morale and teamwork. Every day we face a staff shortage but with Kessopa as charge nurse or staff nurse, the patients are unaware because he puts patients and family first! Thank you Kessopa!