Callie Wempen truly exemplifies the qualities of a DAISY Nurse. She provides compassionate care for her patients and families in addition to overall excellence in her role as a bedside RN in the CICU. She always takes time to help parents participate in as many cares as possible which at times can be minimal involvement due to the level of acuity in the ICU. Even with the sickest of patients, Callie encourages parents to read, sing and talk to their child or comfort them by rubbing their head or feet. She shows first-time parents how to change diapers, participate in baths, and supports them in the use of home blankets and most importantly holding their new baby.
Callie advocates for her patients and progresses them to make them feel less like a patient and more like a "kid." Recently Callie cared for a teenage patient who was having a difficult recovery in the CICU due to intense delirium. Callie weaned respiratory support, advocated to deescalate cares, pulled lines and gave the patient a thorough water bath. She helped restore dignity to this teenager and was able to remove the need for restraints and get him up out of bed for the first time in days following his surgery. She helped to reorient the patient throughout the day and the patient's mother was in tears overseeing the transformation of her son due to the extraordinary work of Callie.
She is humble, kind and constantly positive, no matter how heavy the assignment or how busy she is, there is a bright smile on her face. She loves interacting with all the patients on the unit and is the biggest cheerleader to patients as they walk laps on the unit following surgery. Callie is a wonderful teammate always willing to lend a hand and makes the experience of being in a hospital as positive as possible for everyone she serves.