Clinically superb, empathetic, inspiring... I believe Ms. Moore embodies all the qualities of a great nurse.

Jen was instrumental to my survival due to post-surgical complication. I had the misfortune of having to spend a month in the hospital this past year, 17 days of which were spent in the critical care unit due to septic shock. Ms. Moore handled a clinically complex case requiring multiple diagnostic tests, procedures and complex drug regimens with great efficiency and professionalism.

However, it was in the area of handling the emotional and psychological complication of a stay in the critical care unit that Ms. Moore excelled. On every shift she motivated my will to survive by helping me deal with bad news and setbacks and cheering victories no matter how small, like sitting up longer than I had the time before or later doing one more lap around the nurse’s station.

At shift change, when I saw that Jen Moore had been assigned my case I was determined to survive for at least the next eight hours because I knew that she would expect or accept nothing less. This same attitude extended to my wife, who was not surprisingly extremely stressed and worried about the possibility of losing her husband. Jen Moore supported her emotionally, educated her and engaged her as part of the care team.

She has also been inspired by her role model, husband Patrick Moore, Sr. Together, the couple has more than 30 years of volunteer service — he as a paramedic and she as an EMT — in EMS for southern Albany County.

As a person who has both been both a significant healthcare consumer and involved with New York’s health care system for over 20 years, I can say without reservation that Jen Moore is exceptionally deserving of being named one of the area’s top 10 nurses.

Monica is committed to providing stellar patient experiences and advancing the nursing profession. She is a role model for RNs desiring to continue their education. While working in ICU as a single mother, she completed her bachelor’s degree and advanced her career as a Nurse Supervisor and became chairperson of the hospital’s Transforming Care at the Bedside Council.

I would describe Monica as innovative, a solution seeker and one who inspires a collaborative, vibrant work environment. As an innovator, she co-chaired the hospital’s first Patient Experience Fair to ignite connection to the latest evidence-based practices for ensuring patient and family engagement with care. Over 140 associates attended and gained tools to support their relationships with patients.

Monica co-facilitated a yearlong project to create new, custom-made patient whiteboards to ensure coordination of care in both English and Spanish. Monica is fluent in Spanish and translated each essential item listed on the whiteboard. She also involved other Spanish-speaking staff including physicians, nurse aides and housekeeping staff.

Understanding the challenges of recruiting and retaining RNs in acute care, she discovered loan forgiveness grants for nurses working in underserved areas. She is highly motivated to support her coworkers advancing their education and nursing competencies to synergize with the acuity of patients in our community.

She is a leading preceptor to novice nursing staff, Advanced Cardiac Life Saving (ACLS) Instructor, Nurse Supervisor and Float Pool nurse in addition to being our Clinical Ambassador for patient safety and process improvement.

Kathy Schermer has exemplified the core Veterans Administration values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence while serving as an Emergency Room nurse at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany.

Kathy, herself a veteran, has worked for 23 years at this hospital, most of that time in the ER. Kathy is well respected by her colleagues of the ER night shift and we are jointly nominating her.

Kathy is an excellent clinician. She demonstrates keen assessment abilities and excellent technical skills; these capabilities are critical for an ER nurse. She is 100 percent dedicated to each veteran. She is very fair, respectful and committed.

These characteristics make her an exceptional ER nurse. Respect is a core VA value and Kathy demonstrates this value in how she approaches each veteran. When a veteran recently expressed frustration about not feeling fully understood, Kathy sat down with this patient and “listened.” Taking time out to listen helped decrease the patient’s frustration and resulted in the patient following through with the treatment plan. Kathy understands the importance of connecting with patients through listening.

Kathy’s skills cover a wide range, from simple to complex. In a recent encounter, Kathy immediately recognized the severity of the patient’s illness and set about placing three intravenous lines in this patient who had very challenging venous access. This rapid observation, planning and action are so imperative when someone is critically sick. Kathy’s exceptional technical nursing skills were invaluable in the successful outcome for this patient. Kathy’s smile, sense of humor and patience are just a few of the traits that her coworkers and patients find so appealing.

She’s the one person that always makes herself available to cover staffing sick calls and shortages. Her coworkers utilize her as a resource. She actively is improving the quality of care for our veterans through her work on a quality improvement project aimed at reducing veterans’ length of stay in the ER. As her colleagues, we recognize the value of Kathy’s clinical work and want others to know that the VA has a special ER nurse who serves veterans very well.

Mary takes exceptional care of both students and staff. She communicates effectively with parents. We could not function without her. She is essential to our mission. Loving, patient, kind, caring, knowledgeable.

Mary takes care of all the students and staff every day and always does it with a smile. She is not afraid to have difficult conversations with parents, and will come in to teach class lessons about various topics.

One year, I had an especially bad outbreak of lice in my classroom. It kept circulating around the room from student to student. She did a fantastic job of reassuring and educating parents about how to get rid of it and prevent it from returning.

She was also great addressing the stigma of lice and reassured all that they had done nothing wrong. She was kind, compassionate and humorous.

Eddy Senior Care is a program that keeps nursing home eligible people in their homes, which alone is daunting. I have worked with Gay-Star for over 10 years. She carries a large caseload of challenging patients with efficiency and good humor. There has been a change in our nursing department and Gay is the rock that holds it together. She is approachable to her colleagues and is tireless in her care for our patients. Efficient, caring and intelligent, Gay-Star knows when something is not right with a patient, which is difficult in the field. She is approachable for other colleagues’ issues and is sympathetic to all. She always goes the extra 10 miles, not just a mile, to help her sister nurses, and all other staff at our program. She is a rock of consistency and stability for our staff and participants under constantly changing circumstances. When both staff and participants come in to our Day Center each day, the one thing we can count on is Gay-Star being there and being quietly wonderful.

Gary is one of the finest nurses you will ever meet. He is always professional, an excellent team member, promotes teamwork, always communicates clearly and asks if everything is understood. He always demonstrates caring and compassion, addresses patient/family needs, demonstrates pride in his work and always thinks about patient safety.

How do you describe a nurse who brings each of these qualities to the workplace every day for the past 30 years? As we went around our unit asking coworkers to describe Gary, they all had the same things to say, which is a reflection of his consistent behavior. Gary always goes out of his way to make patients feel comfortable and cared for. He uses a calm voice and manner along with humor to put them at ease. No matter the age of the patient, Gary shows respect, never taking their presence in the ED as consent for allowing us to do as we please. He will ask patients “May I have your arm so I can check your blood pressure?” Gary is a skilled and certified nurse with many credentials, but you will never hear him boasting; what you will hear is him telling others about the skill and expertise of his coworkers. Gary is a true team player.

He recently had a case where an elderly patient had come in after being physically assaulted by a family member. Gary cared for her with the utmost compassion of any nurse. The patient did not want to report her loved one but Gary gently and respectfully explained that this would not be an isolated event and that we were bound by law to report to the authorities.

There is no greater nurse that patient could have had the privilege of having case for them that day under those circumstances than Gary.

Maura is a selfless, genuine, caring and professional nurse. Her number one priority at all times is her patients. She is an outstanding coworker. Always helping others and putting their needs before her own, Maura is an inspiration.

Maura is the best bedside nurse we have met; she has a heart of gold and she spends all of her time with her patients. She gets to know everyone in the family and becomes a family member herself.

Recently we had a patient who was very ill and only had a few days to live. Maura was there for the family every day that she worked. She spent time with every family member. The family did not leave the hospital for days. She made arrangements so they could shower, ordered food for them and got extra chairs and linen so they could sleep in the room. She made sure the patient was medicated and comfortable assuring the family she would control his pain. Her kindness and caring are incredible.

We recently witnessed Maura making a connection with a family whose father/husband had been placed on Hospice care. Maura would spend as much time as she could with the family, holding their hands, bringing them whatever they needed to just give them some comfort. This family found such comfort with Maura in a time in their lives where they felt so lost.

When the patient’s health began to get worse, Maura went out of her way to spend the most time she could with the family. She made sure that they were comfortable, and made sure the patient stayed comfortable. When the patient did pass aware, Maura was there to help the family cope and get through the final hours. She is an angel in our eyes and in the eyes of her patients.

Laura Stebbins is a leader at Glens Falls Hospital and frankly across our state in Emergency Preparedness.

She recently demonstrated her command of preparedness yet again by providing our Glens Fall Hospital staff with emergency preparedness knowledge and the proper high-level attire required for ebola care and training, well before formal guidance was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Laura’s monthly table top exercises are comprehensive and always include a thought and scenario which considers the unique needs of our children. Her work at our organization promotes optimal communication and coordination with and between public, private and other health care sectors, permitting Glens Falls Hospital to be ready to respond within a minute’s notice to any emergency situation. Essentially, Laura Stebbins embodies and exemplifies emergency preparedness best practice on behalf of our community.

Laura is an expert leader who is dedicated, passionate and caring. She possesses expert Emergency Preparedness skills, ability and understanding with which she directs and coordinates Glens Falls Hospital’s Emergency Preparedness Program with regulatory, public, private and other health care resources tirelessly on behalf of the community we serve.

I met Lisa at a time that was very difficult and scary for me. I was diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor. I really didn’t know what to expect as I entered the infusion suite for my chemotherapy for lung cancer.

Lisa approached me and my husband and explained what would happen during each session. After her explanation, she settled me in a comfortable chair and started my treatment. I knew I was in good hands.

Lisa is a nurse who treats her patients with great compassion and is very knowledgeable about everything having to do with the infusion unit. She took the time at all my sessions last year making sure everything went smoothly. She made me feel good even though my body was weak and my hair was gone. She was always understanding and upbeat, which helped me keep my spirits up.

Lisa always demonstrated a positive attitude and professionalism when I was being treated. She also made sure I had warm blankets when the air conditioning made the room cold and water, juice or snacks for nourishment. These little things made my sessions much easier.

I realize that working in the infusion unit is tough when you know that the patients are dealing with life threatening issues, but Lisa is a special person that can deal with that on a daily basis while remaining upbeat and professional.