I am so happy to write this rationale as to why Bridget Murdoc in Colorectal Surgery (this department is affectionately referred to as the Guts and Butts Floor) is a DAISY Nurse. Her commitment to service humbles me and I want to share with the committee why.

I was admitted to Barnes as an emergency admission for a gastrointestinal issue that was hard to solve. My intestines had twisted and turned so horribly that I required rather extensive surgery and ICU stay. Dr. H (standing ovation) valiantly led the charge and fixed me up. The hard part was recovery. I was unable to hold anything in my system.

Bridget unfailingly provided meticulous support during my month-long stay to ensure that all my complicated medicines, wounds, and ostomy bag failures were treated promptly and with dignity. At each set of rounds from the doctors, she would come back in to review my understanding of what was discussed to make sure that I had a good understanding of the complications of my health.

In addition to my learning, she took great care to ensure that the germs around my deep surgical wounds were vanquished with the right timing of Vashe, Chlorhexidine, and safety measures with masks were followed to the letter. For example, when she changed the arterial line in my neck, she double disinfected the skin around my hairline, ears shoulder, and behind my neck to ensure no possibility of infection. She made sure that other nurses and patient care techs followed her lead for precision and germ management by being the example. I cannot count the times that Bridget would come into the room and look at a bandage, a drainage site, or an IV and say, "Let's make this better," and look at a colleague with a knowing smile and a head nod.

I was so impressed by her leadership by example. She did not yell, cajole, or scold. She simply did it and shared her standards. Consequently, many of the other nurses would defer to her judgment and refer to her for guidance. For example, I was experiencing unusually profound pain and she made several medical calls and literally "rode the gurney" with me to get the help that was needed.

There are so many bad smells associated with an ostomy. She never made me feel bad about my appliance failures and helped me clean up with jokes and a smile. That's hard when the room smells like poopy…

When I talked with Bridget about her leadership attributes, she shook her head in disagreement. She said that, "It's a team effort," and kept repeating that refrain. I agree with her, and yet I disagree. She is a leader and needs to be recognized as such. In another conversation, she expressed that in her mission to heal patients, she desired to see surgery from start to finish, so she could better understand how to better serve her patients and also have time to talk with the surgeons about their methods. She believes if she can see a more complete picture, she can think about better ways to administer support in the hospital room.

If there is a chance for her to give a talk to other nurses or attend a conference to bring back best practices to her colleagues, she should be nominated to go. She is a nurse, but also a teacher and a leader.