My mom just completed a five-night stay at the hospital. Truly all of the nurses and aids who cared for her during her stay were excellent. I spent a good part of each day by my mom's side and had the opportunity to observe first-hand the wonderful care she received. We would particularly like to recognize Nurse Judy for her outstanding care. When I first met Judy, I realized immediately that she was incredibly experienced and exactly the person I would hope to have supervise and attend to my mom's care. My 86-year-old mom was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a heart attack, and pneumonia. She felt very unwell and was extremely weak, shaky, anxious, and frightened. My mom learned fairly quickly upon admission that she would need an angiogram and possibly angioplasty and was extremely stressed over having these procedures.

Judy's upbeat personality and calm, capable, kind demeanor were incredibly helpful and just what my mom needed. While this alone would be sufficient to recommend the award, the additional reason I would like to see Judy recognized is because of the outstanding manner in which she handled training a new nurse on her very first day of work. Judy explained to us when she first introduced us to her that it was her first day and that she would be training her throughout the day. We watched as Judy walked the new nurse through each step of care and as she coached her through various procedures. We learned that Judy is not only an amazing nurse but also an excellent teacher - taking the time to clearly explain each task and adding tips from her many years of experience. She was a great encourager/cheerleader to the new nurse and patient and kind.

I have a niece who is finishing nursing school next month and will soon be starting her first day at her nursing job. I found myself thinking on several occasions that I hope my niece is fortunate enough to be trained by a nurse as experienced, kind, and capable as Judy. For these reasons, we would like to see her honored with the DAISY Award.