Cottage Health awards 13-year-long night shift employee Sarah Gray with Nurse of the Year honor

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Cottage Health announced that it awarded its Nurse of the Year honor to Sarah Gray, a Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital night shift employee of 13 years.

Gray has worked on the night shift of the surgical intensive care unit since 2009, when she had originally came to Cottage Hospital as a travel nurse.

“I was in utter disbelief when I heard my name announced for the award,” said Gray. “I am extremely grateful and honored that my colleagues would nominate me. They made me feel so very special and loved.”

The hospital said that Gray began pursuing her nursing career when she was 18 years old. She attended Mississippi University for Women to study nursing.

Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Laura Canfield, said “In the nomination from Sarah’s co-workers, they describe her as amazing, not only for her superior nursing skills, but also for her calm demeanor and sincerity. She’s always supportive and empathetic. They called her the epitome of a great leader and a caring and compassionate nurse. She is known as ‘the rock’ of the night shift and she inspires everyone who works with her.”