Integrity, compassionate, teamwork, respect, and excellence- all these values are engrained in Ms. Gemma for sure, however, these are not what makes her stand out from the rest in my opinion, as I believe that there are others out there who possess the same attributes. What separates her from the rest is how she effortlessly manifests and maintains her extraordinariness, thus making it seem so, well, ordinary. Allow me to expound on that.
Ms. Gemma is well educated and vastly experienced, and this shows in the manner by which she handles her duties. She is pro-active and never one to sit on her laurels. She actively listens to the instructions of her superiors and is open to criticism. Not once have I ever heard her complain about her work, and mind you, her current position is definitely taxing. That is assisting alone a spine specialist who has the most number of patients in the department, only a few people being able to do what she does, day-in and day-out. Yet, in spite of this, she effortlessly carries out her job with a calm demeanor and a smile on her face. It amazes me how she fluidly performs what is required of her, when so many variables come into play, which further compound and complicate her daily routine, such as time management, culture consideration, and of course, patient safety. And yet again, she continues to soldier on, and still with that ever-present smile on her face.
What ultimately led me to the decision to recognize her is that even though she possesses all of these incredible qualities, she remains humble through it all, downplaying her role to a fault. She will never take credit for something she did and has always believed that there is no "I" in team. She would rather stay in the background, happy to do the work that she does, and that is what makes her "extraordinary."