My husband was hospitalized at Yuma Regional for 9 days. Lauren was an exceptional nurse. She was sent to cover some patients that day due to staffing issues on the 3rd floor. She was smiling when she entered his room and upbeat, which my husband so desperately needed. She did a thorough assessment of his skin and checked his reflexes. She changed the whiteboard in the room but not only updating his caregivers for the day but going over his medications, what they were for, and how many times he will get them. She reviewed his plan of care for the day. She went down to the pain scale and spoke to him about that. She made sure to find out what it was at that time and ask him when he thought he needed intervention.

We were having issues getting some testing ordered from the physician due to some symptoms that came up. The Doctors were reluctant, but she advocated for him. He felt listened to and heard. She used excellent communication. There were many nurses that cared for my husband and treated him well and with care. But Lauren showed compassion and a caring attitude, and never talked down about anyone even if my husband had complained about them. True professionalism. Followed nursing protocols and made sure assessments were complete. But most of all, she made him feel like a person. Saw him, instead of his illness. In doing that, he could forget about what was happening to him at that moment.

Being a nurse is hard, especially during the post-COVID era. The shortage of nurses has put a burden on them that hasn't been seen and there is no end in sight. Lauren treated her patients with a smile, as humans, and let them know their concerns were valid. She went above and beyond caring for my husband during that hospital stay. May God bless her with healing hands for all of the patients she comes into contact with.