Although I have known Ashley in passing at the hospital, I never really knew her excellence until recently when I was a patient for several weeks. What I knew about Ashley before being admitted was that whenever she got pulled to the ED, she always came with a smile and eagerness to help out even though the ED can be a difficult place to just "jump in." This never seemed to fluster her. When I was readmitted with a more serious diagnosis than I had originally thought, it was nice to see a familiar face when she was assigned to me one night. What happened next and for several more nights has forever changed me as a patient and a nurse.
Ashley is highly competent in her assessment skills, nursing knowledge, medication administration and physical care of patients. She is confident and consistent. What makes her truly exceptional and the perfect choice for the DAISY Award is her compassion. Yes, she knew me, as a peer/colleague, but nothing else. That alone can be daunting, having to care for a fellow medical professional. But it didn't faze her. Ashley's smile immediately put my anxiety to rest. She spent so much time listening to my anxieties, questions, fears, more time than I know she probably had. She always sat by my bed when speaking to me, helped dry countless tears and spent a lot of time holding my hand. She always had a hug to offer, something to make me laugh, or other conversation to use as a diversion.
When she was assigned to other floors, she always made it a point to stop in and see if I was okay or get an update on how I was feeling. Her spirit is infectious and she lifted mine. These small seemingly insignificant things are what makes her the definition of a nurse.These small gestures often get lost in the hustle and bustle of a busy floor where clinical skills and expertise are the only things that seem to matter. Ashley has found a way to balance both and make a patient feel like the only one she has to care for and like their feelings, fears, questions and anxieties are not just theirs to battle alone buthersas well. No one knows how amazing it feels to not feel alone when you are a patient. In the middle of the night when your pain is to awful too bear, and your fears and anxieties are often at their worst, she was there. Every time.
She of course brought me medicine and provided exceptional care as all my nurses did. But not every nurse can and did provide the kind of spiritual, emotional, and psychological care that Ashley provides from the second she entered my room with her smile. And I would argue that that kind of care is often more beneficial to patients then excellent clinical expertise alone.