Brittany creates healing environments in every moment a patient is in her care. In fact, it is her only priority. Brittany walks into a room and that child and that family know immediately that they are in the hands of one of the most caring and generous nurses at Children's. Whether the patient is here for just a moment or needs to stay longer, Brittany will make sure their stay is full of laughter and even joy. Not an easy task when someone is in the hospital.
Brittany doesn't let a diagnosis get in the way of letting children be children. She sees past all the machines and devices and finds the human behind the disease. I hear story after story about her willingness to go above and beyond to help her patients. She truly connects with each patient and their families and refuses to compromise on her care regardless of what is going on around her. This means she finds time to give baths and sing songs with her patients. I know of several times when patients were feeling down and Brittany would organize a dance routine with other staff members to perform in their room. She pulls in other nurses and inspires them to brighten the day of a child and their families.
Speaking of being inspiring, Brittany's heart and dedication to care affect everyone around her. In huddles her favorite question to ask her fellow nurses is "If you were in a hospital bed, what do you hope someone does for you?" This get nurses thinking about the little things they can do for their patients like wash their face, make sure they have lotion on their hands, comb their hair so it isn't tangled, and make them laugh. Then she leads by example and does those things over and over for her own patients.
You can tell that Brittany was meant to work with children but she really shines when faced with complex medical patients. Her dedication to our Trach/Vents population and kids with Downs syndrome is unmatched. In fact, if there is a serious medical issue you can bet that Brittany is at their bedside showing them love and compassion. It is truly remarkable her ability to care and demonstrate true empathy.
Recently we had one of our long term patient's lose his battle with his chronic illness. Brittany was a primary nurse of this particular patient for years as he was in and out of the hospital. The bond she created with him was extraordinary. At times she was the only one who could get him to smile and forget about his diagnosis for a short while. She knew him so well that she could find the smallest ways to get him out of his fear and frustration. It might be having food services send up his favorite cereal and sit with him while he ate. More often it was just being at his bedside and letting him know he wasn't ever alone. To help him see the possibilities instead of the limitations he faced. As he neared the end of his fight, Brittany was instrumental in meeting both his needs and his family's. She worked with Child life and helped arrange for this young man to spend time outside and have some dog visits. The pictures his family shared with staff show a young man with a dog licking his face and a smile that lit up his whole face and even showed the joy in his eyes. She helped staff create a memory book for staff to deal with this loss and give to his parents to have forever. On his last day with us, Brittany supported staff in a beautiful way. She created space for them to say their goodbyes to his family. She supported the family and advocated for them to be allowed the time they needed to grieve. She even walked his family down to their car so they were not alone for that moment. This is the type of caring moments that Brittany intentionally creates every day.
That is what is comes down to for this nurse. She is consciously creating healing environments for both patients and their families every moment. She thinks about ways to make their hospital stay better. She intentionally brings care to the bedside and not stress. She is the type of nurse who looks for and therefore finds the humanity in every situation. She looks for connections and therefore she is able to make them. She doesn't ask herself if she can care, she just asks herself what is the best way to care in this moment with this patient. In short she is an extraordinary nurse and truly embodies the spirit and heart of the DAISY Award.