At Bayhealth, we have five core values:

Compassion: We are kind and caring to everyone we encounter.
Accountability: Each of us is responsible for our words, our actions, and our results.
Respect: We value everyone and treat people with dignity and professionalism.
Integrity: We build trust through responsible actions and honest relationships.
Teamwork: We achieve more when we collaborate and all work together.

Arguably, Sam shows demonstrates all of these qualities on a regular basis. She regularly embodies the value of teamwork within our practice, by working with providers and other staff members within the Bayhealth network as well as many outside of our system in order to coordinate care for every patient that is seen in our office. She communicates efficiently with practice managers, insurance companies, other nurses, and patients to provide the most effective and efficient care possible. She holds herself to the highest standards of accountability to allow our practice to run when I, as the physician, am not always available to answer questions or provide direct instruction. I trust her integrity and judgement as she has demonstrated on numerous occasions the ability to handle situations calmly and effectively.

Finally, her compassion for our patients is above and beyond what I have seen throughout my experiences at numerous hospitals over the years. On nearly a daily basis, I receive feedback, both verbal and written, that Sam is the kindest nurse patients have ever worked with and is always willing to devote extra time and attention to make sure each patient is cared for. In the reviews of our practice her name is mentioned far more than mine when patients are remarking about the excellent experience that they have had with our practice. 

We had the opportunity to take care of a patient who was previously diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Unfortunately, for many reasons, her initial reconstruction performed by a different surgeon failed, and she was worried that she would never be able to undergo a successful breast reconstruction. Ultimately we were able to offer her an advanced breast reconstruction technique, however this required significant coordination with the insurance company, the patient, the operating room and the hospital administration. Sam was able to navigate this process expertly and with great compassion to get the patient to her procedure. But her work did not stop there. This patient's reconstruction required numerous post operative visits and continued coordination between multiple healthcare providers which Sam has also handled reliably. We are now preparing for the final stage of her reconstruction. The patient is overwhelmingly appreciative of the care that has been provided so far and she has written a wonderful letter to the hospital regarding this journey. She recognized the effort that has gone into her care from our practice and rightfully mentions Sam often in this letter. This would be a remarkable case if it was the only such situation where Sam has worked so hard to provide the best care for our patients; however in my opinion, this is the standard that she holds herself to for all of our patients, and we are truly lucky to have her on our team.