If you’ve worked 5 minutes with David then you understand and are probably in awe of his leadership abilities and so much more. David is my all-time favorite charge RN. It doesn’t matter if we’re down multiple staff members. If David is here, I know it will be a good shift and everyone will remain safe.

David jumps into any situation with an open mind and constantly meets both patients and staff where they’re at. Where most people would run, David calmly approaches. At times he almost seems at ease while personally, I can feel my adrenaline pumping through my veins. He IS calm in the storm.

David has a wealth of knowledge and myself and other staff don’t hesitate to seek his opinion and advice. Today we had a tricky situation on our floor. A patient whom I was sitting constantly with, attempted to elope. I was not able to redirect the patient and ultimately we found ourselves at the unit doors. Within moments, David had staff positioned outside the unit door to keep others entering and was right next to me with the patient. Despite having a full unit, rounds with the MDs occurring, and already being short-staffed, David remained with me and the patient until the patient agreed to return to his room.

This situation could have ended so differently had there been a different RN in charge. But where others might have seen a patient just pushing on the doors and called security, David was able to calmly enter the situation with an open mind. My appreciation for his style of care is endless. If you know David, then you know he approaches every situation as an “amazing opportunity” and I personally think this award would be an amazing opportunity to show a Fantastic RN how appreciated he is.