Ashley Mickel is an incredible nurse who consistently goes out of her way to excel and provide compassionate and extraordinary care to her patients. She is also a thoughtful, helpful, and energetic coworker who cares deeply about her fellow staff members. She transferred to ICU from Newton Medical Center and began orientation basically during a covid surge and jumped right in to learn as much about critical care as she could in an incredibly stressful environment. I could tell immediately that she would fit in with our unit and that she had the skills and mindset to be a successful ICU nurse.

One day, Ashley got floated to the Emergency Department for her shift, where she was “helping hands” for the nurse. An incredibly sick patient was brought in who ended up needing an ICU bed. Ashley helped the ED nurse with everything she was having trouble with or needed clarification on while keeping the patient’s wife informed of what was happening. I received this patient from the ED and Ashley helped with the transportation to ICU.

When the patient was settled and the wife came into the room, I will always remember how deeply thankful she was toward Ashley. If I remember correctly, she even wanted Ashley to stay in the ICU and keep taking care of this patient. This is one of the many stories of how much Ashley’s patients and families trust and sense her ability to always advocate and care for her patients. I always hear families and patients ask, “Are you back tomorrow?” to her at the end of the shift. Ashley exemplifies what being a nurse is truly about and I am proud to call her my coworker and friend.