Kirk has always been a great nurse, he learned so much as an LPN that it has made him a wonderful RN. He is not one of those nurses who wait until behaviors happen, he is very proactive when it comes to the patients. One particular time that just made him stand out to me was how he advocated for a patient who was seen as one of those patients that everyone had given up on because of their behaviors. The patient was transferred to 3N. I noticed that the patient's hand was shaking pretty badly when they were trying to write. I asked Kirk to look at his medications and speak with his doctor about adjusting his medications. Kirk spoke with the doctor, and within a few days the patient had a personality, we were able to speak with the patient, joke with the patient, the patient was participating in therapy, and just doing everything our other patients did without any issues, the patient has even learned how to take self timeouts! Kirk is often left by himself as a nurse, but he never complains, and when he isn't the only nurse, he does all of the work anyway, especially on the weekends. It is almost as if there isn't even another nurse on the unit, even though there is one. He just does it all, the kids love him, and the staff loves him! I can't think of anyone who is more deserving of a DAISY Award!

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There was a patient who had a very upsetting phone call with her social worker, and she threw the phone across the room and began attempting to tear papers off the wall of the day room. Kirk was able to take her for a break and was able to talk her down and give her some pretty good life advice that she needed to hear, and was able to connect with her in a way most staff hadn’t been able to. I’ve seen him do this with multiple patients throughout my time working with him, and we can always count on him to hold the milieu together like no other nurse!