Justin is a float pool RN who recently agreed to be contracted short-term to 5 west. I originally inquired about his interest in doing so because of his performance when pulled to my units (5w and 9c). He is an Extraordinary Nurse who excels in the care he provides his patients, as well as the support he provides to his peers. I have seen him go above and beyond during every shift with my core staff.

Recently on 5w, we had a very difficult situation. We admitted a young man who had suffered catastrophic injuries to his brain unexpectedly. As expected, the patient’s very large family had major barriers while attempting to come to terms with the outcome of their loved one.

Justin cared for this patient and his family for multiple days in a row. Even when given the option for a break, he continued to care for this young man. The continuous need for communication with family and repeating the same unfortunate information regarding expected outcomes over and over would have been mentally and physically exhausting for anyone put in that situation. But Justin handled it with grace. He took as much time as needed to provide emotional support to the family while providing excellent care to the patient. When I, as a manager, sat with family to have tough conversations, Justin was right there with us, by choice, involving himself to make them feel as at ease as possible in an impossible situation.

After multiple days of emotional, physical, and mental strain from this situation, Justin was able to recognize his personal needs, verbalize them, and then insist on coming back to the unit to finish the day. He is not one of my core employees, but I couldn’t be more proud of how he handled this situation from start to finish. I know his manager feels the same.

Note: This is Justin's 2nd DAISY Award!