Victoria is an exemplary nurse that seems to have limitless amounts of caring and compassion for others. As a team leader, she takes as good care of us as she does her patients and their families. She brings a solid work ethic and positive energy with her every day at work, and shares and guides that energy to the rest of us to make our days at work better. Even during some of the worst and craziest times in the emergency department, when Victoria is team lead, I know that everything will be okay. She always seems to be exactly what we need when we need it: a mama bear when we need defending, a cheerleader when we need confidence, a leader when we need guidance, a teacher when we need knowledge, and a comedian when we need a laugh.

But that is only half the story. The compassion that she shows towards patients is incomparable. I have observed her interact with patients and I can honestly say that the way she treats them is an example for the rest of us to follow and is exactly what people think of when they think of a “nurse”. Sometimes patients can be extremely difficult, hard to tolerate… and sometimes we can lose our cool. Not Victoria. I have personally witnessed her treat even the most unruly of clients with such genuine love and kindness that it blew me away. I have said to myself more than once that that is the kind of nurse I want to be.

Victoria always goes above and beyond for patients for her coworkers, and for those that she leads. A specific example occurred yesterday. A well-known person in our department was brought in with serious injuries. I am a newer nurse, and I was admittedly a bit overwhelmed by having to deal with someone I know who is so seriously injured. Victoria helps me deal with this patient and never left my or the patient's side. She treated this patient with the utmost respect and concern and ensured her dignity was intact. Victoria held the patient’s hand and kept her talking all throughout the extremely painful procedures we had to do to get her stabilized. Victoria stayed with the patient not only through stabilization but to ensure that she was cleaned up and as comfortable as possible. She stayed well after her shift was over to accomplish this, never complaining and never letting on to the patient it was well past time for her to go home. Victoria stayed until there was nothing more to do for this patient except getting her on a helicopter to transfer to a higher level of care. In fact, she didn’t leave the hospital until the patient was about to get in the helicopter.

I heard this patient tell Victoria “Thank you for all you did for me”. Considering the VIP status of the patient, it was to me extremely powerful praise especially since I know and have seen that she treats all her patients that way. She goes above and beyond every day, in many ways. I’m proud to call her a friend, a coworker, and a leader.