Although every time I have the pleasure of working with Corrine I observe the qualities that make her deserving of the DAISY Award, it is one particularly hectic, overcrowded, tense night in the ED when she was in charge of the overnight shift that her skills impressed me.

The ED rooms were full, the hallway beds were full, and the waiting room was full of patients who had been waiting 2-3 hours for a bed to open. Several patients and their families were very angry about the wait and were coming to the registration desk in triage demanding to know when they would be seen. One mother, in particular, had brought her daughter in after seeing their physician and had the expectation of getting seen immediately as the physician had called ahead. The daughter was in pain, and both mother and daughter had been to the registration desk multiple times asking when they would be seen. When the situation escalated, I informed the charge nurse who immediately came out to the waiting room to speak with the patient and her mother. She maintained a calm, reassuring, professional manner despite the anger and unrest in the waiting room. Although she could not immediately resolve the issue, she made the patient and her mother feel as though they had been heard.

I was very impressed that night at the way Corrine handled multiple difficult situations so professionally and calmly without seeming overwhelmed or flustered by the chaos coming at her. She was clearly in control of the ED and showed excellent management skills. She is an excellent bedside nurse, mentors other nurses, is a SANE nurse, maintains additional certifications and is always a team player. The ED is a difficult place to work many days but Corrine is able to organize and control the chaos and always does it with a smile on her face and a kind word. A true professional!