Julia has been a bedside nurse at PHHS for over 15 years; this speaks to her love and devotion for nursing. She not only speaks with compassion but demonstrates compassion with her actions. Julia is not afraid to hug and sit with her patients and co-workers.

Recently one of her co-workers had a patient going bad and at the same time another situation arose and Julia felt the RN was being treated inappropriately. Julia was upset; she assisted the RN with the patients and reported the inappropriate behavior to the manager to make sure the RN had support. She is the epitome of integrity. There is nothing she would ask of a co-worker that she has not done or would not do.

She is an RN3/charge RN on a 28 bed unit, she assists the PCA's with bed baths, assists patients in the bathroom, assists family to other areas of the hospital, and helps other RN's with needs. Even though nurses do this daily she goes the extra step to ask if anyone needs help.

She respects and recognizes others. She has written letters to nominate a special RN for awards. Julia is the first to tell her co-workers "great job" when in reality she is the one that stepped above and beyond to assist. I'll never forget the time and work Julia put into a Project Improvement Presentation for increasing patient satisfaction and the unit received 1st Place. She was so happy the unit received the award but never once took credit for her hours of work on the presentation. She works well with the staff creating a strong team approach. She is always one of the first nurses in new admission rooms even if she is not the primary nurse. She ensures patient and families are comfortable and educated on what to expect during the hospital stay.

She is truly a leader on our unit. She started as a graduate RN and has worked herself up to RN3. Staff on our unit as well as other units respect Julia and will often come to her for assistance. Julia was recognized for the "outstanding preceptor". Julia maintains calm and professional and with the polished skills she has developed is often called by other staff for assistance. She sets the tone for Excellence with providing high standards of service and performance. She rounds on the patients ensuring rooms are tidy and needs are met. Notifies other areas when necessary such as environmental services when she does not feel the patient room is up to standards for patients or dietary when patient meals need attention.

A patient stopped by my door and wanted me to know he and his wife appreciate everything Julia is doing for him. I did ask for an example because I would like to recognize her and both the patient and wife smiled and said "she just cares". Julia is a steward because that is what she does as a nurse on a daily basis.

There was a patient from Russia with young children. Julia, also from Russia, was able to connect with the patient and the children. Julia would call on her day off to check on this patient as well as the children; she would ask nursing staff if anyone needed translation. Julia was a big role in the recovery of the patient as well as helping the children to cope.

She has a special touch with her patients: "she is my guardian angel, she protected me". That is the way one of her patients described Julia. This patient called Julia's manager and told his story: "I have had 3 surgeries in the last 10 weeks. Last November I was a patient on 5 North and Julia was one of my nurses. I was in a lot of pain; she hugged me, patted my shoulder and looked right at me telling me it will be ok. The way she said it is what made the difference. She was a blessing to me and needs to know this. During my stay she was always checking on me. When it came time for me to discharge, Julia not only took my prescriptions to the pharmacy but brought them to me and set them in my lap. Anything I needed she made sure I had it. I know she did not have to do that, but she did because that is the kind of nurse she is".

It is not only what she does but it is the way she does it.