Who is deserving of such a prestigious award, I ask myself. Our care center is privlidged to have excellent nurses who make our team successful. We have a breed of new nurses who come with confidence and technical skills. But being a nurse in the field myself for many years now, I still believe that through knowledge is vital it is not sufficient. A quality that makes a good nurse is compassion, something you don't gain from experience. At Gordon Lane, I am confident that the most outstanding nurse deserving of the DAISY Award is Noriel Agbayani, our treatment nurse. When you have been working long enough as a nurse, the tendency is to get exhausted and you just want to get the job done and leave. Noriel carries the same passion to serve every time he comes to work. He is punctual and rarely misses work. He is well-loved by staff, health care providers, and most of all by our residents.

Although he works under pressure, he never loses his composure. I remember during the height of COVID when our center experienced an outbreak, I cried several times at work but Noriel would always lift my spirit with his smile and encouraging words "It's ok we can do this!" He is very dependable and always willing to help other nurses. He goes above and beyond his duties as a treatment nurse.

Noriel has his way of making his presence felt through jokes. As the saying goes laughter is the best medicine and true enough he manages to get our residents to smile and laugh even the grumpiest ones. He not only heals the body but also the mind and soul. We fondly call Noriel "doctor" because of his wisdom, leadership, and true master of his craft. Once I covered for him while he was on vacation and it made me realize that I have a big shoe to fill. It is unimaginable how he is able to accomplish everything by himself and still maintain quality of care.

Any nurse can perform treatments but not all are as highly skilled to heal wounds. I consider Noriel a miracle worker with HEALING HANDS. It is unbelievable sometimes how he is capable of restoring wounds to their optimal healing. He is a nurse who treats without the need for a prescription for compassion. I have high respect for his work ethic. Noriel exemplifies an Extraordinary Nurse who works effectively with concern for each resident cared for. Gordon Lane is very fortunate to have Noriel as our treatment nurse. His hard work all these years should be celebrated and recognized.