Kimberly Denicolo
October 2014
Kimberly
Denicolo
,
RN
ED
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago
,
IL
United States

 

 

 

The emergency department is chaotic and our nursing staff is constantly running trying to get the kids in and out or admitted in a timely fashion. Kim never rushes her patient and families and makes sure they understand all discharge instructions or current plans. She takes care of her patients just like they were her own children. She uses her children as examples when teaching families to make them feel more comfortable. She is constantly going above and beyond for our patients' and provides family centered care.

I had the privilege of having Kim as my preceptor and during one trauma when a young child was burned from a pot of water that the mother had been boiling; she demonstrated all criteria of a DAISY Nurse Honoree. While the mother felt terrible about what had happened and felt responsible for the injury, Kim remained calm and offered emotional support to the mother while taking care of the child. She calmly explained everything to the patient's mother while also paying close attention to the child's two sibling who were sobbing and very afraid. She called child life to distract the siblings so she could offer additional care to the child most in need. Kim did all of these things quickly but made sure the family was aware and all questions were answered. She is most deserving of this award especially for her many years of caring for children and her passion here at Lurie Children's.