My mother was recently admitted for pneumonia and a large pleural effusion that had to be drained. She became acutely ill at home. My mother also has severe anxiety as well as other chronic medical issues. Kayla was our night shift nurse on her third night of being sick (between two hospitals). She was such a sweet and calming presence, and her communication skills with my mother while she was having anxiety overnight were wonderful and so helpful. I’m an RN myself, and I know how busy we are at baseline, but despite my mother being a higher-load patient needing a LOT of emotional support, Kayla never once let on that she was stressed, irritated, or too busy for my mom. When she was in the room, she gave my mother her undivided attention as if my mother was her only patient. She’s incredibly compassionate and patient, and even though she’s a new nurse, she shows so much promise. I’ve been a nurse supervisor at another facility for seven years of my career now, and Kayla is clearly a very valuable member of this team, and they’re very lucky to have her. I hope this nomination helps her to see what an incredible nurse she already is and motivates her to always see her patients as she sees them now with her fresh eyes in the field of nursing. We were truly blessed to have had Kayla as our nurse.