At a time when the world seems engulfed in hardship and strife, healthcare providers have risen to the task of serving others on a magnitude unimaginable before COVID-19. Josh is a new LPN who has met this task head-on, with persistence and determination unparalleled.

Little by slow, I have learned of the great challenges he has faced in life and how those hardships molded his upstanding character and incentivized him to pursue a degree in nursing. He continued to encounter multiple obstacles in the past year and a half, as he pursued his LPN degree and continued to work on the Adult Behavioral Health Unit as my coworker while demonstrating exemplary skill and professionalism. The quality of care he delivers as a nurse far exceeds what is asked of him. He is always compassionate, always kind, and always genuine. He is curious, knowledge thirsty, and applies what he has learned with sound clinical judgment. He never shirks a task and is a pillar of stability within our unit.

In behavioral health, we frequently encounter heartbreaking and even dangerous situations. Josh never pauses in his delivery of care. Where others might hesitate, he never misses a step. I marvel at his ability to infuse calm into an escalating situation and reach even the most unwell of patients through his nonjudgmental approach. It seems he has been able to use his life experiences to connect with our patients during a most vulnerable time in their lives. Those experiences may have broken any other person, but Josh has kept his eyes focused on his goals and kept marching on. He is truly the embodiment of the spirit of nursing, and I do not believe there is anything on the earth that could stop him from achieving his heart's desire. Especially, when he shows up with a cheerful attitude and encouraging demeanor to serve his patients and coworkers...after walking to work in the dark, in 4-degree weather. In these days of turmoil, it rejuvenates me to see someone that joyful to be a nurse.