Louise had that Ice-Nurse Look down pat.
One of the more convincing parts of her portrayal (If this was a real person), the ‘Nurse’ actually had an attractive womanly face, but she was so remote, uptight, peevish, OTC and condenscending her manner made her look ‘ugly’.
We have all known people like this in various walks of life.
RBF personified.
And they usually vote Democrat!
(just kidding, kind of)
Yes, she was quite a lovely actress. Who was able to reach deep down and channel cold stern icy so that it warped her character's face. And then at the end, when we see her with the neck brace, she's been more or less humbled by McMurphy. They broke him, but he broke her first.