Rhonda Hilterbran, BSN, RN - CVCU

My nurse Rhonda knew that I could only have my sister during my stay in the hospital. She said that my sister could relay information to my husband, and he could bring things that were needed so he wouldn't be stressed out with the sight of tubes and wires.

It bothered me that I had to take more medication while at the hospital, but Rhonda put my mind at ease as she explained each of the changes in my medication. She explained that the doctors wanted to give the correct dosage of what would work for me which put my mind at ease. She's very pleasant and loves her work. She is dedicated to her fellow sisters and brothers and gives mercy to those in need. What an honor it was to be here with Rhonda by my side.

Ester Nolasco, RN - Rehabilitation

The hospital pharmacy did not stock the medications I needed during my time in the hospital and it would take a few days to restock. During that time, I started to suffer from psychotic features and unrelieved pain. I was afraid and cried for days, then Ester appeared with ice and a warm blanket. She was calm and confident, wrapping me up and praising me softly. She never looked tired or rushed and she made every moment with me all about my comfort. When Ester was off for a few days I wondered if she were an angel God sent to me or a hallucination from psychosis. When she came back to work and I saw her name on the board, instantly my heart filled with joy. Ester, there are no words to describe how privileged you made me feel. Thank you!

Alicia Tenorio, BSN, RN - Med Surg

My extended stay in the hospital brought so many unknowns to both me and my husband and we were unsure what to expect. When I met Alicia and looked into her eyes she gave me hope and strength to move forward and work to be better. Alicia spent time with me and held my hand during my wound care treatments. There is a lot of pain to endure while getting these treatments and healing for wound care is a long journey but with the help of the nurses at Integris Southwest Medical Center, they have shown me I can face all of this. Alicia's help, above all, came from the fact that she loves her job and loves helping others. When a nurse loves what she does it shows in her work. I hope that Alicia can be recognized to show the work she does here will not be forgotten.

Sherri Hall, RN - Cardiac Unit

My elderly mother was transported to Integris a week after she had a heart attack. We were under so much stress with COVID restrictions adding to our stress. I didn't feel a smile in me only worry for my mom and sad she couldn't see the rest of her family. My drive to OKC from Lawton each day was tiresome not knowing if there were going to be additional complications. Sherri has a magical personality that pulls joy out of you! She put my mom at ease and even got smiles from her. When you are helpless and can't properly care for yourself it can be a humiliating time, but Sherri made a funny crack about the situation and made it all seem normal. She made me look at our situation with light. I needed a positive direction as do the patients. It's part of the healing process and without it, I don't believe my mom would have improved as quickly. Sherri took the time to explain our questions, was very attentive and caring. She made us feel like old friends and not a patient or a visitor. I will always be thankful to her. Integris is lucky to have such an employee.

Jessica Clodfelter, RN - CVCU

Jessica is a Godsend to me. I am an 83-year-old woman who never had a daughter, but I would love to have had Jessica as one. She does her job with love and tender care. She knows what to do and when to do it. She is very kind and helpful. There is so much to say for Jessica that she goes above and beyond any time she can. She even took me for a walk which I was so grateful for her being there for me. I love and appreciate all she did for me during my time in the hospital.

Latrica Friley, MSN, APRN Adult-Gero - Intermediate Care

What the pandemic of COVID-19 has brought to us as nurses: fear of the unknown, fear of the known, urgency, increased tasks and decreased personnel; higher acuity levels of the remaining, non-COVID patients in this calm before the storm. With this frenzied pace, knowledge, and procedure changing by the minute, it would be easy for little things to get over-looked.

What might be over-looked is what COVID-19 has brought to our patients and their families: panic of being exposed to the virus, fear of their own symptoms...and what I believe is the most devastating of all, being separated at the time they need each other the most.

In the middle of an extraordinarily busy shift, I noticed Latrica take a call from a very nervous, frightened, and upset spouse of a patient. She listened to all of his concerns and relayed all the proper information about hospital policy and procedure. But what she heard was that this couple of probably 45 plus years truly were lost and scared without each other. What she did was absolutely brilliant. She took the time and found a way to get two non-tech savvy, older, frightened people and put them as face-to-face as they could be on what was probably their first video call ever. You could hear the relief and joy in their voices when they saw each other and tell one another it will be all right.

As Mother Teresa said, "Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love." Latrica goes above and beyond, not only caring for all her patients beautifully but truly getting to the heart of what matters most to them. Latrica is such a special nurse and co-worker.

Candice Gulbranson, MSN, RN - Oncology

Candice was my nurse for my 3-night stay. From the first moment I met Candice I knew I was in good, experienced hands. I had been nervous about my first inpatient chemo treatment and was unsure what to expect. Candice took the time to get to know me and was personable and expressed that she truly cared about me as a person and a patient. She took the time to explain my meds and was thorough in her notes. She listened to all of my questions and concerns and made me a priority. She was also training a new nurse and it was clear she was passionate about teaching the next generation of nurses. Candice had a lot going on personally in her life and even in the midst of those times in her own life, she continued to care for me and her other patients as if we were part of her family. Candice went above and beyond in all of her responsibilities and came by to wish me well even after her 16-hour shifts. Candice goes the extra mile, every shift, every patient.

Tara S. Jones, RN - ICU

Our mother made us promise not to let her pass in the hospital. She wanted to pass at home peacefully surrounded by her family. Her biggest fear was being on life support and dying alone. My first encounter with Tara was when I walked into the ICU unit where I saw my mother hooked up to dozens of machines. As you can imagine it was a very emotional moment seeing my mother in this condition and knowing what my mom did and did not want in her remaining time. Tara immediately and tenderly approached me, introduced herself, and asked if she could hug me. Tara's hug was the best hug ever and exactly what I needed. She gave me all the time I needed to compose myself and was prepared to answer all my questions. Our family decided to remove life support and let my mom pass. We have a very large family who wanted to say their final goodbyes. Tara took time to explain to everyone what that process would be and assured us that my mother would not be in pain or stress after being removed from life support. Tara allowed us to be there for as much and as long as we wanted. Not only was Tara a special unit nurse, but she was also a compassionate, caring human being. She even took the time to clip some of my mom's hair and tie it with ribbon for those who wanted it. It takes a special person to do the work that Tara does on a daily basis but it takes so much more to do it in such a giving way that she does. My entire family hopes Tara can be recognized for her special talent and human way.

Carrie Arter, RN - Mother/Baby Unit

We started the day not knowing we were getting a baby today! Not only a baby but a preemie! We did not know this until we got to the hospital and started worrying. Can we do this? But our nurse, Carrie, was fabulous! She taught us the difference between a preemie and a regular baby. She answered all our questions and explained everything the doctor was saying. She just had an awesome way of breaking things down very easily to understand. We never knew how much drugs affect babies and families in this area.

Carrie and nurses like her are the ones that make the system work. They work so hard without ever complaining. She just kept teaching us and smiling. We can never thank her enough for enlarging our family with this precious baby!

Brandon Moore, RN - Patient Care Services

My 48-year-old fiancé had a heart attack on Saturday at 7 p.m. I was so terrified as I watched her go away in the ambulance. She is my best friend; my whole world was gone it felt like. I got to the hospital to find out her left main artery was 100 percent blocked. A stent was inserted, and it fixed the heart attack she was having. The nurses got her hooked up to all the machines and to the arctic sun.

The next day she was beginning to fade away. I started thinking I was about to lose my everything until Brandon was assigned to be her nurse. He not only corrected the issues she was having with a great positive attitude but also took the time to explain everything that was going on. He explained it all to me at least once or twice. Ultimately, he got her stable and gave me some hope and faith. I was lucky to have him as a nurse two more times and like the first time, he showed up with a smile on his face because he loves his job. He gave me positive pep talks when I was down.

The reason she is stable now is because of Brandon. He is a team player and has a lot to offer the nursing team on the 3rd floor ICU. He made the most traumatic experience I've ever had into a situation that I could deal with a lot better. My fiancé wouldn't be doing as good as she is now without Brandon. He saved her life and me, too.