Brooke is a shining star! She is a member of our PACU team, a team leader, and preceptor. She is consistently recognized by the team for her calm presence and ability to work through any situation. She has a “we can do this” attitude and skillfully guides our team through many of those challenging days.

In her role as a team leader, she recently encountered a very difficult situation and one I am sure she will carry with her forever. We had an 11-year-old that was emergently taken to the OR and did not survive. Brooke went to the OR to help when things weren’t going well. She was the one that went to get the family and was present when they were told the news. Instead of taking the patient back to ER where she was before, the patient was brought to the PACU to allow family time to be with their child. The patient was supposed to move to the pediatric unit. However, Brooke knew how difficult moving the patient to the pediatric unit would be for the parents to be around the other pediatric patients. So, Brooke had the patient stay in PACU and helped with the paperwork.

These situations are never easy and knowing Brooke has kids close to the same age makes it even more challenging. She took on this burden with grace, which is customary for her. We were so impressed by her and feel she embodies what the DAISY Award represents.