Abby Gambles
October 2015
Abby
Gambles
,
RN
Medical/Surgical
Portneuf Medical Center
Pocatello
,
ID
United States
Abby Gambles truly embodies everything I see a DAISY award nurse being. Abby is one of the most compassionate, caring nurses that I know. At the same time she is also very efficient, smart, and fun to work with. She really tries to get to know her patients and cares deeply about them. I can't remember any patient of hers that I rounded on that did not have a smile on their face because the nurse just knows how to make people feel calm and cheerful.
Whenever I would overhear Abby orienting a new nurse I would hear her tell them that if they didn't know how many kids the patient has or where they work or where they are from or at least a few things about them then they are not doing their job. Abby truly meant this. If you don't know your patient on a more personal level then you are not doing your job as a nurse. She knows that nursing is about more than giving medications and doing assessments, it's about making connections with people and helping them feel more comfortable with an often uncomfortable situation.
I once was walking down the hall and passed by the room of a patient with severe end stage COPD. Patients with this disease will often also have anxiety issues because not being able to catch your breath would make anyone a little anxious I think. As I passed by the room I overheard Abby talking to the patient and she was telling him or her that if they were feeling short of breath or even just feeling anxious to give her a call and she would come sit with them until it passed. It may seem like such a simple gesture but to this person I'm sure it meant the world to know that someone would be there with them when they needed it most. I did not see into the room but I tell you I can imagine that Abby was probably sitting close to he patient holding their hand as they faced whatever was happening at the time. This moment touched me because to me this is what nursing is all about.
Abby is just amazing and it shows in her patients and their families love for her. I think it's pretty amazing that this family took the time to mention the nurse in their mother's/wife/grandmothers obituary. Abby would never broadcast this herself and I only even knew about it because a fellow nurse told everyone. Abby was amazing with this patient as she lay dying in the hospital. Abby was at their bedside often, sometimes every 15 minutes just ensuring that she was comfortable and taken care of. I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of a DAISY Award than Abby. She truly is everything great nurses are made of!
Whenever I would overhear Abby orienting a new nurse I would hear her tell them that if they didn't know how many kids the patient has or where they work or where they are from or at least a few things about them then they are not doing their job. Abby truly meant this. If you don't know your patient on a more personal level then you are not doing your job as a nurse. She knows that nursing is about more than giving medications and doing assessments, it's about making connections with people and helping them feel more comfortable with an often uncomfortable situation.
I once was walking down the hall and passed by the room of a patient with severe end stage COPD. Patients with this disease will often also have anxiety issues because not being able to catch your breath would make anyone a little anxious I think. As I passed by the room I overheard Abby talking to the patient and she was telling him or her that if they were feeling short of breath or even just feeling anxious to give her a call and she would come sit with them until it passed. It may seem like such a simple gesture but to this person I'm sure it meant the world to know that someone would be there with them when they needed it most. I did not see into the room but I tell you I can imagine that Abby was probably sitting close to he patient holding their hand as they faced whatever was happening at the time. This moment touched me because to me this is what nursing is all about.
Abby is just amazing and it shows in her patients and their families love for her. I think it's pretty amazing that this family took the time to mention the nurse in their mother's/wife/grandmothers obituary. Abby would never broadcast this herself and I only even knew about it because a fellow nurse told everyone. Abby was amazing with this patient as she lay dying in the hospital. Abby was at their bedside often, sometimes every 15 minutes just ensuring that she was comfortable and taken care of. I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of a DAISY Award than Abby. She truly is everything great nurses are made of!