I am nominating Ashely Barrett for a DAISY Award because of her tenacious advocacy for me as her patient. I had finished my 6th round of chemotherapy and was having a difficult time maintaining adequate hydration. I went to Cancer Care to receive adjunctive intravenous fluids. As soon as Ashely came out to the waiting room to get me she could tell I was in need of more help than just fluids. She placed me in one of the hospital beds and immediately got fluids started. As she was completing her assessment she gently suggested to me that I might need to be admitted for further fluids and possible potassium replacement intravenously. After I agreed Ashley immediately began the process of admission. After receiving initial information that I would need to see a provider in the physician's office or go through the Emergency Room for admission Ashley informed of what she had been told. She did not accept this and persisted in making telephone calls back and forth to the physician's office telling them that I was too ill to go through the suggested process. This took almost an hour and thanks to Ashley, I was admitted directly to the nursing unit after being evaluated by a provider.
Among the many things that nurses do for their patients, advocacy based on situational assessment is one of the most important. Ashely knew what would be best for me based on her assessment and persisted until she achieved the best outcome for me, an expedited admission. I ended up staying in the hospital for 4 days, receiving continuous fluids with potassium, being treated for an infection, and receiving supplemental blood and platelets. I'll always be grateful that I had such an observant and persistent nurse who looked out for me in my weakened and vulnerable state.