When you ask yourself, "What makes a good nurse?" there are a few words that may come to mind. Compassion is usually at the top of the list followed by caring, kind, supportive, patient, etc. These are all great characteristics that I'm sure every one of us would want in the nurse caring for our loved ones. I just wanted to take the time to recognize one of the excellent nurses that I have had the honor of working with over the last couple of years.
Cindy meets every one of those characteristics day in and day out with every patient she meets. I have read many DAISY nomination letters with the majority focusing on just one patient, during one admission, however, for Cindy, this recognition is for every life she has touched.
To give you a little background, Cindy and I work together on our hospital's unit. This unit is a bit different; we have the honor of meeting our patients at the beginning of the biggest fight of their lives. We get to know them and their family throughout all of the tears, smiles, procedures, diagnoses, and treatments. Unfortunately, for some of our patients, we have the bittersweet role of helping them find that comfort at the end of their life, to gain back their quality of life when it matters the most. This process is not always as cut and dry as it sounds. There are a lot of ups and downs, life lessons, and soul searching for our patients. When it comes down to these literal life and death decisions, our patients need every ounce of compassion, kindness, support, and patience.
Cindy handles every patients' situation with grace, dignity, and respect. She treats every patient individually, not just a patient assignment, not just a room number. However, her skills go far beyond just emotional support. She is an amazing and determined patient advocate; she will always be there fighting in your corner. Her assessment skills are so sharp that she's able to recognize small changes before they become big problems for her patients. She makes sure to always practice at the top of her scope using her best clinical judgment to keep her patients safe.
As a nurse in this unit, I understand that our job role on our unit runs deeper than the given description received when we accept the position. We have created a small family here on our unit that I am so proud to be a part of. Our responsibility is not only to our patients but also to our fellow co-workers. During this time of the nursing shortage, when we feel run-down, over-worked, and sometimes underappreciated, we rely on each other to continually lift our spirits for not only our mental health but the care of our patients as well. I believe that The DAISY Award is just one of the ways that we can truly show our appreciation for the nurses we work side by side with.
The DAISY Foundation was set into action with the goal of recognizing extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people. When I started out a couple of years ago as a brand-new registered nurse, Cindy stood out above the rest. She took on the task of becoming my only preceptor for the 10 weeks that followed. She taught me some things that nursing school didn't, helped me through the tears with my first terminal patient, and protected me as she took me under her wing through orientation. She continues this with each new nurse that walks through our doors.
Today, Cindy is still my go-to-person for work's toughest questions, biggest heartaches, and personal work achievements, and for this, I am forever thankful. Recently, Cindy has accepted the position of lead preceptor on our floor, and in my opinion, she exceeds all expectations. She is truly a beautiful person to her core and an incredible nurse, co-worker, and friend.