...Working in the pediatric surgical heart unit brings its own challenges as anyone who works in this unit will attest to. I can proudly say that Anna not only has done well in this unit as a junior staff nurse, she has excelled well beyond expectation. One of the criteria of this award suggests that working with a qualified recipient should feel like a gift. I think that if one were to ask any of Anna's peers, patients or their family there would be no doubt they would suggest that it truly is a gift to work with or be cared for by this terrific nurse. Even in the face of overwhelming acuity, difficult patient assignments, and the sometimes inevitable trap of sadness that might overwhelm an ordinary nurse working in this environment, Anna somehow always finds a way to spin the moment into a positive one raising the spirits of those around her.

Anna always goes the extra mile for all the patients in the PSHU. Whether it's having spa time for her own patients or putting together crafts with the other staff to make patients and parents feel special, Anna always ensures that just because the PSHU is an ICU it doesn't always have to feel that way. This behavior is contagious in the best way as I have seen a change in many of our staff who have followed in her footsteps. Anna strives to gain as much knowledge about our patient population, which guides her care each shift. She has gained the respect of her peers and physician co-workers based on the care she provides and knowledge she demonstrates. It truly is a pleasure to have her as a part of the PSHU nursing team, our unit and the profession of nursing is lucky to have her.

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While most of the nurses in the Pediatric Surgical Heart Unit (PSHU) go above and beyond for their patients, Anna stands out as a creative and caring nurse who always goes the extra mile for her patients. In addition to being a great team player, an incredibly smart nurse, and an exceptionally kind and caring person, Anna makes a point to create a warm and welcoming environment for her patients in the frequently scary environment of a pediatric cardiac ICU. When a patient is approaching a birthday she makes a note on the hand-off sheet to remind us to decorate the room to celebrate this milestone with parents. Recently, she and Sheila Hurley, another of our nurses have started making diaper cakes for monthly birthdays. Anna decorates the rooms, and paints the doors of the patient rooms when there is a celebratory event coming up, or even if she feels they parents need a mood-lifter. She has also purchased clothes and accessories for patients to dress them up for a special day or event. Every time Anna works the night before a holiday, she is a main coordinator in a cute project (such as foot-stamped hearts for Valentine's Day or baby picture bunnies for Easter) for parents to have and see when they arrive for the day.

A few months ago, we had a patient that was critically ill and slowly decompensating. Anna was the bedside nurse for this patient frequently. His parents could not be at the bedside with him constantly and were upset at the idea of him being in his bed alone, so when they were not present, Anna sat with him and held him so the parents knew he wouldn't be alone and that he was constantly held in his final hours.

Currently, she has frequently cared for another decompensating patient who has been with us for her entire life so far. Every night Anna makes a point to dress her in clothes, even though she can't fit in them, so she will cut the outfits so they can be worn as much as possible, so that the parents feel like there is some normality to their situation. She also recently decorated her room and drew balloons and a cute penguin with a colorful happy birthday sign on her door for this patient's one month birthday. She made a diaper cake with a stuffed heart topper, and dressed her up in a birthday outfit. This patient may not live to see her second month birthday, much less her year birthday, so her parents were in happy tears when they came in to see her that day. They are excited every day to see what Anna has dressed her up in whenever she is her nurse from the night before, and state frequently how much it means to them that she makes the effort to treat their child with such love and compassion.

Even when she is very busy, Anna can be counted on to do anything in her power to make our patients happy and comfortable, and to ease the worries of their parents. She is always a strong advocate for her patients, and has contributed to as many life-saving events as she contributes to life-improving acts. We are so lucky to have Anna as a nurse in the PSHU.