Danette is well respected by her peers. She has been at Lakewood for 20 years and was here when they first started the open heart program. As a Charge Nurse in CCU, everyone immediately recognizes her as no-nonsense and an expert in the field of critical care. She has been a key trainer for all of the open heart nurses. She is so respected by her peers. After one Nurse’s week event in which another ICU charge nurse got the charge nurse of the year award, her day shift staff gave her their private award and gift. Because to them, she embodied what a good leader should be. She comes early before her shift and already starts looking over the patients and troubleshoots any problems whether it pertains to unit supplies, an angry doctor, or a staffing issue. She always proactively looks ahead and calls out any pitfalls that we may encounter even if the problem may be weeks down the line.

Recently the department’s Administrative Assistant was out for surgery for 6 weeks. Danette had her own responsibilities as a charge nurse overseeing 2 units but she agreed to help and take on the majority of the payroll. This is a major undertaking. Danette stepped up and took on the additional duties associated with the day-to-day monitoring of payroll and staffing. This additional responsibility was at a time we had to implement the Covid pay program. Danette had a strong sense of duty to serve the greater good of her fellow nurses by offering her help and making a hard task doable.

Danette is a great nurse, she is an example to her staff, she steps in and assists at the bedside and when the unit is super busy, she gets in there and does all she can to get her nurses through. Danette is always on top of every patient in her unit even though the 2 units are located on 2 different floors. She can give you a detailed account of what’s happening with her patients, who speak of her with respect and gratefulness. She always tells her manager that she could work at a hospital closer to her home, but she comes to Lakewood because of the people. She enjoys working with her crew and she is proud to say that she has trained each of them. We can all use Danette as not just an example of a professional but an inspiration of dedication, caring, and compassion.