Kirsty is an exceptional certified ED nurse whose compassionate nature is demonstrated every day in the care that she provides her patients. Her excellent clinical skills are the reason she was chosen as the ED Tech Liaison Nurse and preceptor for new nurses in the ED. All of that is important but, the reason I recommend Kirsty for the DAISY Award is for the care that she provided to an 88-year-old woman that presented to the ED with stroke symptoms.
The patient was completely paralyzed on her right side, loss of vision in her right visual field, a gaze deviation and was completely aphasic; she could neither comprehend language nor speak. She was diagnosed with a Left Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke, one of the worst types. Kirsty provided this patient with critical and efficient care, administering IV tPA in 25 minutes and transport to a higher level of care within 60 minutes. On arrival to the higher level of care, the patient's symptoms had improved drastically and today she has almost no deficits.
In the words of the neurologist who cared for this patient, "…there is no doubt in my mind that Kirsty saved this patient's life." Kirsty was able to accomplish this miracle because of teamwork and her leadership. Kirsty is a leader and inspires all of us in the ED to provide the best patient care possible.