A few people gasped, and others mumbled among themselves. I was beyond shocked. I never would’ve thought Patrick would transfer off this unit. I couldn’t help but wonder what his reasoning was for the transition.
“Thank you, Patrick. I’m sure we all wish you well on your new journey. I’m sure you’re going to do great.”
Patrick smiled and then made his way back to his seat. Nancy cleared her throat and spoke.
“Now that we have announced that, I’m going to go over what I’ve witnessed on the oncology unit. Everyone here works hard. There is no doubt about it. The patients love all of you. We can tell from the surveys. However, there is no one calling the propershots. The unit lacked structure. So as of now, there is no charge nurse over the unit, and I will hold interviews?—”
“Excuse me, Nancy,” Patrick interrupted by standing up. “Before you interview, I would like to throw in a recommendation.”
“Okay, and who might that be?”
“Nurse Amina.”
My eyes widened as everyone turned, staring at the back of the room at me. I was speechless. Never in a million years would I have thought Patrick would say my name.
“Amina is the one who helped with the structure in the past. She made sure lunches were planned, patients were scheduled correctly, and the rotation was cohesive. Amina is the behind-the-scenes brains of it all. I think it’s time for her to move to the front line of things.”
“Thank you, Patrick, for that,” Nancy expressed.
Patrick winked and smiled at me before he sat back in his seat.
I was stunned. My eyes bounced all over the room as everyone’s eyes were on me. I must’ve looked like a deer in headlights because I was beyond shocked.
“Amina, can you see me after this meeting, please?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Nancy continued with her observation, taking questions and answering them. However, I had tuned all of them out. My mind was still all over the place. My heart was racing in anticipation of this one-on-one conversation. Nancy wrapped up ten minutes later and reminded me to stay behind. The staff walked beside me, wishing me luck and congratulating me on the opportunity of a promotion. Once everyone cleared the room, I made my way to Nancy. She smiled.
“Surprised?”
I nodded. “Yes, especially with the recommendation coming from Patrick.”
“I’m not. Amina, whether you believe or see it, your work ethic does not go unnoticed. Every staff member I spoke with consistently mentioned your name, whether it came to a process or praise. They see you, Amina. You just need to see yourself, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“With that being said, I’m going to take Patrick’s request into consideration. I was hoping that you would’ve thrown your hat in the ring personally, but it’s just as good coming from a peer. I would like you to be the new charge nurse on the unit, but that’s only if you would like to take the position?”
My smile spread from ear to ear. I wanted to squeal and reach out to Nancy and hug her tight, but I remained professional.
“Absolutely! I would love to take the job!”
“Great! Right now, we will keep you on an interim basis for the time being until I’m able to draw up hiring paperwork from HR.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome. Have a great rest of your day. You’re going to do amazing.”
Nancy walked out of the office with her head held high. As soon as the door shut, I squealed and jumped up and down. I didn’t realize how much everyone looked to me. I didn’t see myself as being someone everyone was inspired by. Now that I knew, I couldn’t be prouder of how hard I had worked to get where I was.
I checked the time on my phone, and it was now seven in the morning. I needed to share the news with Danita and Gio. Danita would be getting up to prepare for a fitness class, and Gio would be preparing for bed at this time. I immediately ran out ofthe office and took the elevator until I was outside, so I could be loud while on the phone. I dialed Danita first and then merged Gio onto the call.
“What’s going on, Amina? Is everything okay?” Gio asked.
“Right. You’re not chit-chatting at this time of the morning. You’re usually getting ready for work.”
“Everything is good. Shoot, everything is great. I have some good news for you both.”
