Kayla Baker
February 2014
Kayla
Baker
,
RN, BSN
Emergency Department
Bridgton Hospital
Bridgton
,
ME
United States

 

 

 

Our DAISY recipient was nominated by her peers from the Emergency Department and from the Inpatient Unit. Both described the same situation as the basis for the nomination.

...Kayla volunteered to work in CCU for the night. As she arrived for work, her usual smiling, positive, cheerful self was a blessing. During that night, her patients had multiple issues that warranted calls to the provider, and she also admitted two patients while trying to acclimate herself to the Inpatient charting system.

During the early morning hours a medical-surgical patient was experiencing respiratory distress and Kayla was summoned to assess the patient. The following is the staff nurse's description of Kayla's response: "She jumped right into action using her quick, critical thinking skills, took the situation by the horns and ran with it all while maintaining her composure. While the patient was placed on BiPap, she used this time as a teaching experience, never seemed frazzled, bothered or put off, and it was comforting to have her calmness and knowledge present."

This patient was transferred to CCU, and Kayla gave report to the provider. As observed by one of her ED peers who was helping that night, "Kayla did not leave the bedside. When the family arrived, she was there to explain what had happened and what decisions needed to be made, in a caring and professional manner. A 12 hour shift became a 16 hour shift, and Kayla handled this graciously and with a smile, putting the patient first, as always."

Also in the words of her peers, "She embodies compassion, patient and family focused care, patient advocacy, support of all members of the healthcare team, serves as a role model for the nursing profession, uses critical thinking skills, and is passionate about life. Bridgton Hospital is fortunate to have her here; she is an exceptional, passionate nurse with outstanding qualities. She is always full of energy and goes out of her way to help patients, family members and staff. She is always willing to share her experiences with fellow staff to help them excel in their practice."