I've been an ER doc for close to two years at St Anthony's, and I've always believed a good nurse is worth their weight in gold. Many times we have several critical patients come in at the same time, and when that happens we really depend on the nurse to keep us informed, take initiative, and anticipate issues while we manage several sick patients.   We had two very unstable patients that I had been managing. One of whom was actively coding. Taylor was assigned to the room next door. This patient was acutely ill as well. Instead of waiting for the patient to decompensate, or panic, she repeatedly provided me updates on the patient's status. She took initiative to politely request labs under my name (which of course was acceptable in those circumstances). When I was unavailable with the patient next door and she was able to get one of my colleagues to validate the appropriate dose of medication I wanted to give (I mentioned we were going to give it, but had been called into the other room before obtaining the weight to calculate the dose). To go to my colleague and check what dose should be given was incredibly proactive, and such a strong layer of safety for the patient. It also meant that she was able to accurately communicate the disease process, the condition of the patient, and the reason for the order. My colleague did a brief assessment and placed the order after reviewing the case. At no point did she panic, overstep, or lose control of the room. When I finally was able to fully attend to the patient I found that they had been completely stabilized, the orders she selected were appropriate and correct, and the patient was going to be able to go to a lower level of care during admission than previously thought. I think these are the qualities of an ER nurse at their highest level. Safety, initiative, comprehension of the disease process, and the humility to ask for permission from the attending physician prior to initiating orders. I believe (but am unsure) that she is a relatively new nurse, which makes the entire situation that much more impressive. Her bedside manner is commendable as well and the patient was perfectly calm during a tough situation. I think she proved that she has what it takes to be an exceptional nurse in the Emergency Department, and if she wanted to pursue additional training to become a nurse practitioner I can only say that based on what I've seen so far I would certainly give my endorsement and recommendation. Of course, more experience is the best teacher. But off to a fantastic start.