Daisha Paschal, BSN, RN

We were sedating a complex adolescent with autism and developmental delay together. Daisha Paschal spent time getting to know the family and navigating the best course forward using shared decision-making with them, despite having delays in some care because medications hadn't arrived yet.

After the procedure, the patient became incoherent and delirious, trying to sit up, then lie down, and then cry. Daisha sat in a chair at the bedside and was able to talk her through the moment. She remained calm and had a soothing voice, so mom was able to follow her lead and stay calm and keep her daughter safe.

While navigating what might be causing the agitation, Daisha exhibited extraordinary empathy for a patient who is nonverbal and has autism. She talked through how this might be pain, and so we tried treating that together. She explained to mom how this can be scary to wake up like this and engaged mom in the care as we ended up treating emergence delirium - which was the golden ticket. As an ICU physician, I've seen empathy and kindness, but Daisha went above and beyond. She was able to be the voice for a developmentally different adolescent, help calm her, help calm mom, and she managed to keep the patient safe and the room calm and effective, with the patient as the center of care.

I am in awe of her ability to continuously maintain her infectious positive attitude and high level of professionalism while going above and beyond with compassion for the families. She sat in the room with the kid and mom for a while after to support the mom. I love working with Daisha every day, but this encounter exemplified her work ethic, calm demeanor, empathy, nursing knowledge, and ability to navigate complex rooms and situations.