My dad was admitted to the Surgery/Bariatric floor. Dad is a WWII veteran and is 93 years old. He is loved and respected by the community and his friends. While all of the care received on the floor was outstanding, there is one nurse who stood out as a DAISY Nurse. Her name is Karen and she always had a smile on her face. Not only would she check on Dad she would also make sure that I was doing OK.
Passion = At the beginning of each shift, she would arrive with a smile on her face and show genuine concern for my dad. She would listen when he would tell a story and she never gave the impression that she didn't have time for him. She worked hard to make sure his needs were being met.
Empathy = Dad is a picky eater and on two occasions he would not touch his dinner because he did not like what was on the plate. Karen made sure that his dietary needs were met and made sure food and nutrition came to meet with him. She even asked what he liked and made sure to change both his lunch and dinner plates to include fish, ice cream, and pudding. She made sure he had a coke with ice when he needed it.
Trust = One Saturday afternoon, Dad had a tough day. It was thought that he would have an amputation of his finger due to a bone infection. Because of Dad's age and the fact, he doesn't heal so well, the decision was made that there would not be an amputation. The infectious disease weekend doctor came and talked to dad about a PICC line and scared him to death. I have never seen him so upset and determined that he was not having anything placed in his heart. That his heart was good, and he was not messing with it. Karen came in and could tell he was having a rough day. She asked what was going on and I explained that he was afraid of the PICC line. She sat down on the side of the bed and explained the procedure to him, assured him that the team who places the lines does this all day every day and that while there was some risk associated with the procedure that he would be fine. After she spoke with him, he approved the placing of the line.
Admirable = you can't help but admire her passion and concern for her patients and their families. Being in the hospital is stressful for all concerned but both dad and I waited for her smiling face each shift. I left the hospital feeling like she was a guardian angel taking care of Dad while he was in the hospital. She never complained and always offered help.
Love = Love for patient and nursing profession = Dad is a proud man and he was having some continence problems with his bowel movements. One day she was getting ready to take him for a walk and he felt he needed to visit the restroom. On the way to the bathroom, he started having a bowel movement. Karen assured him that it was no big deal and that he was fine. He was so upset that he couldn't take care of his daily needs, but she made him feel OK.
Selflessness = Each day that she was working she would come by to check on him. One day she had another assignment, but she still continued to stop by and see him and even managed to take him for a walk around the entire floor. She impressed upon him the importance of getting exercise and drinking water to keep his blood pressure up and to help relieve constipation.