Amanda Holt provides extraordinary patient care with compassion, support and advocacy for the whole family. One mother told the story of her stay on the unit. The patient's Autistic twin sister was at the bedside and having an extremely difficult time seeing her sister in the bed and afraid. She was also having a difficult time with the change in routine. Amanda saw this and made a difficult time much easier for her. She engaged the sister in patient care activities and planned a "family night" with a movie and popcorn that was a family routine. The mom said "just the fact that she was a great nurse made our stay better, but she did even more than that. She made our other child feel as though she was a part of the care. She included her in the care of her sister, and made our routine as normal as possible. She is just more wonderful than I could ever explain."
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When a mother dropped her young child off with family to celebrate Christmas, she never expected to receive a call from CHKD saying that her child was in the hospital. Amanda was Charge RN that day and received the page that the unit would be receiving a toddler that had sustained a traumatic injury. Once the child entered his room, Amanda greeted him with an age-appropriate toy (a truck) from the toy chest and a special blanket with many bright colors from the Volunteers. Just minutes later, the patient's mother arrived. At this point, the mother still had no idea why her child was hospitalized. Amanda gently and empathetically took mom by the arm and told her that her child had sustained a traumatic injury and that he was in good hands. Over the next hours, friends and family arrived to show their support. Amanda was so thoughtful and providing everyone with a box of tissues and offered comforting words. She did all of this while maintaining control of her role as charge and assisting other RNs that needed her help. I feel that Amanda shows a perfect representation of what a DAISY Nurse is! I have learned so much from Amanda since being on the unit and think that she is such a valuable asset to the unit. She is so deserving of the DAISY Award."
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When my daughter was re-admitted after surgery for severe pain, she was in the worst pain I've ever seen. Even after nearly 24 hours of meds and treatment, she was no better and maybe worse. We were both at our mental breaking point. Our nurse brought the Charge Nurse, Amanda, to our room. Instead of just passing us off, she took the time to truly understand our issues (my daughter's needs and concerns). Amanda spent hours in our room that day and didn't leave our side until a resolution was reached and the doctors' were at our daughter's bedside. Amanda's Compassion, Dedication, and Support has continued every day since then—visiting our room and checking in with us at least once, sometimes twice a day. She has truly made a difference in our lives and I'm sure many others. She deserves praise and recognition for her tremendous effort and genuine concern.
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Amanda Holt is a valuable and outstanding asset to Unit 7C. As an Education Coordinator, Bedside Nurse, Preceptor and Charge Nurse, Amanda provides excellent teamwork, clinical oversight, and promotes an environment conducive to increased learning opportunities for our nurses. Amanda is a credit to her unit and Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters and we are very fortunate to have her on our team.