Stephanie is our lead dialysis nurse at Verde Valley Medical Center, and I cannot think of a nurse more deserving than she is to be recognized for her commitment to patient care. Recently, a patient in our critical care unit who was on dialysis was diagnosed with a potentially rare autoimmune illness and required plasmapheresis therapy in addition to their hemodialysis treatment. The census for our in-house dialysis patients was already high per our normal staffing ratios, and accommodating this patient for several days of plasmapheresis therapy was going to be extremely challenging for our department. Stephanie trained on plasmapheresis for 2 days and then picked up extra shifts over the weekend on her days off without complaint, allowing our other core staff to train on plasmapheresis and accommodating this patient.

In addition to coming in during the day when she was off, Stephanie also came in to assist our dialysis RN on call in the evening and worked overnight on weekends until 4 am. Because of Stephanie, no renal patients were left uncared for in-house, and all of our patients received treatment without any delays. During all of this, one of our ICU nurses had a birthday that week, and Stephanie bought a cake and food for this nurse so we could celebrate her birthday in the department. This is not the first instance or the last where Stephanie has sacrificed her time and attention to ensure the needs of our renal patients are met.

Stephanie often comes in on her days off to support her team and ensure we deliver safe and high-quality patient care. She also takes time to celebrate her team of ICU and Dialysis nurses, ensuring that no birthdays or life events are forgotten. Stephanie is the nurse every colleague wants on their team, because she is compassionate, dedicated, and never forgets her 'why' for being a nurse. The way she shows up and cares for our patients is remarkable - there is truly no nurse like Stephanie, and our team and community are incredibly lucky to have her!