Claire Fullenkamp
July 2025
Claire
Fullenkamp
,
BSN, RN
Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital and Health Care Center
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
Whether she is serving as a flight nurse with Grace on Wings, volunteering with horse therapy at the Children's TherAplay Foundation, or acting as a dedicated mentor/preceptor to train newer nurses on the unit, Claire constantly gives her all, and then some.
I am honored to nominate Claire for the DAISY Award for her exceptional, multifaceted dedication to nursing excellence, and specifically for the profound comfort and leadership she provided during an incredibly complex shift.
Claire works on the Trauma Ortho Unit, a fast-paced environment designed to treat orthopedic injuries and physical trauma. On this particular day, Claire faced two intense, completely different clinical crises at the exact same time, demonstrating unparalleled grace under pressure.
Claire was caring for an 82-year-old man who had dementia, a broken neck, and back, who suddenly had a decline that turned to end-of-life care as he began actively dying mid-shift. Claire stepped in with a level of dignity and expertise to be commended. This loss was uniquely devastating for the patient's daughters, who had already lost their mother in 2022. Claire recognized the weight of their compounding grief and seamlessly shifted her focus from acute trauma care to profound comfort care. She wrapped his grieving daughters in support and did all she knew to ensure their father's final hours were peaceful as she passed on her experience to the next shift RN, who was also a novice RN.
Simultaneously, Claire was managing another high-acuity crisis for an 86-year-old female suffering from intractable epistaxis after a fall in the community causing significant fractures. The medical team had already made four unsuccessful attempts to stop the bleeding. The patient was terrified she was going to bleed to death, and she was experiencing visions of her deceased parents beckoning her to join them. She desperately wanted to survive to see her son again.
Claire recognized the critical medical urgency and the profound spiritual terror the patient was experiencing. Rather than accepting the status quo after multiple failed interventions, Claire aggressively advocated for the patient. She proactively reached out to find additional solutions, and her persistent advocacy directly enabled the patient to receive a left sphenopalatine artery embolization. This intervention resolved the bleeding, giving the patient her life back and allowing her the precious opportunity to see her son again.
Claire's ability to fiercely advocate for a patient with a frightening, bloody status-post fall event, while simultaneously providing a peaceful transition for a patient at the end of life, is absolutely amazing. This exceptional skill and compassion come as no surprise for those who know her. Whether she is serving as a flight nurse with Grace on Wings, volunteering with horse therapy at the Children's TherAplay Foundation, or acting as a dedicated mentor/preceptor to train newer nurses on the unit, Claire constantly gives her all, and then some. Claire represents the absolute best of our profession, and she is deeply deserving of this honor.
Claire works on the Trauma Ortho Unit, a fast-paced environment designed to treat orthopedic injuries and physical trauma. On this particular day, Claire faced two intense, completely different clinical crises at the exact same time, demonstrating unparalleled grace under pressure.
Claire was caring for an 82-year-old man who had dementia, a broken neck, and back, who suddenly had a decline that turned to end-of-life care as he began actively dying mid-shift. Claire stepped in with a level of dignity and expertise to be commended. This loss was uniquely devastating for the patient's daughters, who had already lost their mother in 2022. Claire recognized the weight of their compounding grief and seamlessly shifted her focus from acute trauma care to profound comfort care. She wrapped his grieving daughters in support and did all she knew to ensure their father's final hours were peaceful as she passed on her experience to the next shift RN, who was also a novice RN.
Simultaneously, Claire was managing another high-acuity crisis for an 86-year-old female suffering from intractable epistaxis after a fall in the community causing significant fractures. The medical team had already made four unsuccessful attempts to stop the bleeding. The patient was terrified she was going to bleed to death, and she was experiencing visions of her deceased parents beckoning her to join them. She desperately wanted to survive to see her son again.
Claire recognized the critical medical urgency and the profound spiritual terror the patient was experiencing. Rather than accepting the status quo after multiple failed interventions, Claire aggressively advocated for the patient. She proactively reached out to find additional solutions, and her persistent advocacy directly enabled the patient to receive a left sphenopalatine artery embolization. This intervention resolved the bleeding, giving the patient her life back and allowing her the precious opportunity to see her son again.
Claire's ability to fiercely advocate for a patient with a frightening, bloody status-post fall event, while simultaneously providing a peaceful transition for a patient at the end of life, is absolutely amazing. This exceptional skill and compassion come as no surprise for those who know her. Whether she is serving as a flight nurse with Grace on Wings, volunteering with horse therapy at the Children's TherAplay Foundation, or acting as a dedicated mentor/preceptor to train newer nurses on the unit, Claire constantly gives her all, and then some. Claire represents the absolute best of our profession, and she is deeply deserving of this honor.