The medical circumstances of my life are such that for better or worse, I have met hundreds of RNs over the years. So when I say that Van is the most knowledgeable RN I have ever met, please take full understanding of my assessment in this case. In February 2022, I was admitted due to internal bleeding from ITP. It was my third hospital admission in as many weeks for the same condition. At this point, my spirits were low and my optimism that my situation was truly curable was diminishing. Throughout the three weeks of hospitalization, my experience with the nursing staff has been lovely, upbeat, and pleasant, but never particularly informative. I would often ask questions about procedures expected for the day or what the schedule looked like, but always told they had to ask someone else and I never heard back. The constant unknowns in the recovery process about basic things like what the side effects of transfusion actually mean and what the risks or simply if I was to be confined to bed with IV for a couple of minutes or a couple of hours quickly wore on me.

Van is the diametric opposite of this experience. From the start, I never had any doubt he knew what he was doing. As a specific example, he was my caretaker during my first experience with biotherapy and was responsible for the disclosures and side effects therein. He was obviously prepared for the meeting and answered confidently all my specific questions like “what exactly does ‘ocular impairment’ entail” and “which side effects are exclusive to chemotherapy I don’t need to be concerned about?” What is most impressive is his ability to honestly segregate information. “Here is what I know to tell you.” “This I will need to ask about to give you the best answer.” “This is something only the doctor is really qualified to fully answer.” Not once did I ever get the feeling I was being ignored, placated, or set aside and forsaken.

Besides his knowledge base and ability to communicate, I am similarly impressed with his professionalism and demeanor. He carries a very service-minded perspective and is much calmer in demeanor than most nurses. While a nurse’s ability to keep a patient’s spirits up is critical, something you really need is assurance and not a pep talk. Van is simply a master of providing that kind of assurance, and his calming personality is simply a rare breath of fresh air in the traditional hectic hospital experience. It is for these reasons I wish to nominate Van for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. He is truly extraordinary.