I was unexpectedly hospitalized. I was blessed to receive the most exceptional care. I have great appreciation for all who took care of me. That being said, there is one team member that deserves special recognition in my eyes. During my admission she was my nurse for 3 of my 5 dayshifts in the hospital. What has compelled me to write this nomination are several things regarding my stay. Tatiana received me for admission the morning after my work shift, I was quite emotional about my admission as it was unexpected, and my diagnosis was concerning and new for me. Even though we know and respect one another she was exceedingly professional with our changed roles. She was thorough with my daily assessments, and she consistently followed her 6 rights of medication administration with every single medication given to me.

Of course, these are the basic expectations of nursing or as we say “Nursing 101” however her above and beyond care for not only my physical health but also my emotional and mental well-being is the premise for this nomination. I was under a lot of duress when I was admitted. I was emotional about leaving my husband and my family knowing they could not visit due to visitation restrictions at this time.I  was concerned over this new diagnosis especially with the blessing and curse of my own nursing knowledge. I was in pain, and I was alone. Frankly I was a mess. When Tatiana rolled into my room with my afternoon dose of antibiotic that first day, she had a gift bag on her. WOW. She had taken her personal time from the craziness of a 6:1 dayshift patient ratio that day to go to our gift shop and purchase a precious weighted teddy bear…for me. She said she knew I would be missing my husband overnight and thought the teddy would be a nice buddy for me to cuddle. That warmed my heart and made me feel so cared for and special.

The fact that she was so thoughtful about my mental and emotional health meant so much to me. The following day she was scheduled for relief charge of the unit. When she arrived, she came in right away in the morning to check on me and to give me a beautiful orchid plant to put some happy in my room. Her critical thinking and consistent daily assessments enabled her to fervently advocate for me liaising with the doctor about my change in condition and I am so grateful for that. Tatiana is a thoughtful, kind, beautiful human. She is an exceptional nurse, and I would put any one of my family members in her care with complete confidence.