February 2023
Colleen
Fryman
,
RN
ICU
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
Oakland
,
CA
United States
She excels at supporting all of the staff around her and making patients feel at ease with her availability to all of them.
Colleen exemplifies what it means to be a great nurse as well as a great colleague. She is frequently placed in a support/relief role because she excels at supporting all of the staff around her and making patients feel at ease with her availability to all of them. She is never one to be off her feet, constantly seeking to be of help to the staff members around her while maintaining a calm, upbeat, and joyful personality. She has clearly made it an imperative to herself to constantly seek new education and adapt to the ICU environment quickly, being the first to call it our if she doesn't know an answer but always finds out. She makes every staff member feel welcome and supported and particularly goes above and beyond for patients and their families. Her consistent follow-up with families be it a call or just a sit down to explain the complex care of ICU decreases their worries for patients who often do not have a voice for themselves. She is always advocating for them and willing to challenge what is easy instead of what is right, which is a hallmark of a patient advocate.