Em Tan exemplifies leadership. As nightshift lead of our busy CVICU, she always demonstrates the qualities of kindness, empathy, leadership, and expertise. One night I had a crashing patient who was very unstable, and she assisted in stabilizing the patient and carrying out the many orders for this busy patient. She was very empathetic by allowing special visitation for this very sick patient so that the patient’s spouse could be at the bedside overnight due to the patient’s tenuous condition.

Later in my shift, the patient coded. Methodically, while the code was ongoing, Ms. Em, who is always thinking of every detail and finds a way to be helpful, began to return the blood from the CRRT machine to give back to the patient. The code was already ongoing and other roles were filled by other nurses, RTs, and the intensivist. This task is one that may be overlooked since the main focus is giving code medications, chest compressions, and securing the airway. This is just one example of how Ms.Em is so vital to our unit. She always makes herself available for questions, no matter how big or small, and is always willing to teach. She is truly one of a kind and we are so lucky to have her as a lead at TMMC CVICU.