Carol Langston exemplifies the care we often reflect on when thinking about the qualities of DAISY Nurses. This care embodies compassion, loyalty, community, excellence, and healing. For many of us, Carol has been our preceptor, our teacher, and the team member we rely on for strength, reassurance, growth, and the always surprising sense of humor that helps us ease our challenging nights.

There’s no doubt her many years of experience as a nurse (both in hospice and the military) have influenced the holistic way she manages her patients' complex medical needs, her ability to comfort patients during uncertainty, and how she advocates for their healing with dignity. As our colleague she makes us feel valued and respected. She is not one to harp on problems but ensures to find solutions that help us improve unit dynamics. She often takes on complex patient assignments to aid her team; willingly floats to other units to not only help but ensure continuity of care of the patients on M1. Her loyalty and commitment to our team hold us together; especially during the uncertainty we’ve felt both professionally and personally over the past couple of years.

Personally, I describe Carol as “Compassionate, competent, and committed”. These are only some of the many words to describe Carol and her passion for nursing. From dancing and singing Barry Manilow to a patient, to holding a patient’s hand during the end of life; these are a couple of the ways I’ve witnessed Carol comfort and care for her patients. Carol is the perfect example of what every healthcare worker should strive to be. She has touched so many lives and helped speed the recovery of so many of our patients.

Recently, Rachael shared that she was having a challenging shift. There were multiple acute patients on her assignment. Carol took notice and looked over the patient assignments. She took the initiative and changed the assignments so that everyone had a patient assignment that was fair and helped us better meet our patients’ needs. This is one of the many ways that Carol supports us. She’s always offering her help.

We appreciate how she’s quick to pitch in and share her time with all of our patients. She has a heart of gold.

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I feel like Carol is an example of everything a nurse should be. I admire her ability to win her patients’ trust through her kindness and her compassion. She takes the time to be present with her patients.

I think of a patient in particular who was having a difficult time transitioning to Gaylord. The patient was very anxious. Carol made it a priority to spend time with the patient. She was patient and kind. In giving the patient this attention, she was able to quell their fears and prepare them for their first day at Gaylord. These types of situations reoccur often. Patients are new to us and are understandably anxious. I notice that when Carol has these patients, she talks about their life, interests, as well as their goals and expectations during their stay. I have observed patients become overwhelmed by all of the things we need to do to care for them. Carol always ensures that her patients are actively involved, so all of these things do not feel like they are happening to them. This leads to a decrease in their anxiety and increased commitment to their goals. This patient-centered care that Carol provides to every single one of her patients improves their wellbeing and ultimately their outcomes.

I have worked with Carol for over four years and this excellent and attentive care is something she provides to all patients she works with. Another way Carol is very much a DAISY Nurse is through her mentorship of new nurses. I was once one of those nurses. I still consider her my mentor. We have all been recipients and witnesses to Carol’s gentle way of guiding new nurses to critically think about their patients, allowing them to see the forest through the trees.