A patient recovering from heart surgery has work to do.
And it’s a nurse’s job to see that the work gets done,
monitoring respiratory status, movement, strength, pain
control.
A patient who had aortic valve replacement surgery this spring
wrote that he had been “treated very well by all the hospital
staff without exception.” But one person went the extra mile.
He nominated Angie Wech of Medical Telemetry/Intermediate
Care for the DAISY Award for Exceptional Nurses, which she
earned at a surprise ceremony in July.
“She not only provided the care that I needed but seemed
to sense when I was down and feeling
sorry for myself,” the patient wrote in his
DAISY nomination. “She would always
have the right words of encouragement
for me and many times a little joke to
lighten the mood.
“During my stay, she answered all my questions about my
recovery and pain, also letting me know what to expect as time
went on — chest tube removal, etc. She also seemed to have a
real handle on what was going on around her, answering many
questions from other staff members.”
Angie recognizes that healing is not a one-person job. She is
thankful for the support she gets from co-workers on her floor and
from patients — like this one. “I appreciate the work he put into
his recovery,” she said. “We got him healthy and got him home.”
Deb Brown, director of Medical Telemetry/Intermediate Care,
praised the teamwork she sees every day in her department, as
well as the shining example Angie sets.
“Angie is one of those kind of nurses that all the patients enjoy
having care for them,” Deb said. “She’s got such a great sense of humor, yet she’s very
much a patient advocate.”
That patient advocacy became apparent to this patient: “Angie took that extra step and
not only did her job as a nurse