Lacy Gillenwater
September 2017
Lacy
Gillenwater
,
BSN, RN
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Knoxville
,
TN
United States

 

 

 

Lacy is an extraordinary nurse every single day. She expertly and tenderly cares for our fragile NICU patients while providing the parents with a source of stability and comfort. Lacy is caring and compassionate and always advocates for the patient when care needs to be escalated.
Often Lacy requests to be the "primary" nurse dedicating months of work to the patient and family. She personalizes the bed space, making a sterile, hospital environment feel more like home for the parents. Lacy celebrates the baby's milestones with beautiful pictures, hand and footprints and weight calibrations for each pound gained. The memorabilia is given to parents for their scrapbook.
Lacy includes parents in every aspect of the care and encourages them to take an active role in their baby's care. She makes sure the family is comfortable holding the infant. She gently guides them and helps them transition from watching her do care to doing it themselves in preparation for discharge.
Unfortunately, not all NICU stories end happily. When she has an infant not doing well, Lacy remains with the family and supports them through the difficult situation. She provides her patients with the kind of care you'd want your family to have.
In addition to caring for our patients and families, Lacy takes care of her colleagues also. She knows the importance of teamwork and offers her expertise when appropriate. Lacy takes every opportunity to teach skills to less experienced nurses. Her attitude, gracious professionalism, and kindness bring joy to the unit. She is an outstanding role model!