I had been called to the Care Experience office for a patient problem. When I arrived, staff were trying to talk to a patient who was very upset, loud, and most of all did not seem to have all her thoughts under control. While I was gathering information, I was informed that Laura had been called down to also assist with the patient. When she arrived she gathered all the information from Security and staff. Then she came out and talked to the patient. While I was standing by for the safety of our staff, I watched how she handled herself with the utmost professionalism I have seen in a nurse. Laura stayed with the patient while she went to medical records and talked to her to keep her relaxed. Laura was very aware of how the patient was feeling and kept asking if she wanted to be seen in the ER. After about 30 minutes, Laura informed me she felt comfortable with me leaving and she was going to get the patient down to the ER where she could talk to someone for help. I am nominating her for the DAISY Award because this is only one of many times I have seen her show great compassion for the patients she treats. Laura is always willing to listen to the patient and I have never seen her talk down or try to intimidate a patient, she treats them as a person and has a great compassion for them. We have been on her unit many times and I have witnessed how she can defuse a problem so we don't have to have any physical interaction with the patient. I can truly respect everything she does because I am a Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Instructor and she uses every aspect of the class she was taught while taking care of patients.
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I would like to nominate Laura for the DAISY Award. There is not just one or two remarkable patient stories about her, but a track record of delivering a consistently high level of patient care in a difficult environment. Because the unit patient population presents many challenges, she must use a wide array of treatment strategies on a daily basis. I have worked with her on many complex patient issues that required expertise in risk management HIPAA compliance and recipient rights. She is extremely capable of balancing these issues and finding a solution that is in the best interest of the patient. A further testimony to her is that she and her team have received very high patient satisfaction scores for the past 2 years. Leaders from other facilities have visited to learn about their best practices.
During a concerning encounter with a patient it was necessary to request aid in the form of security and a possible psychiatric evaluation. As I am unfamiliar with this process, our office called up to the floor and requested assistance. Laura came down and as soon as the patient saw her she calmed down and remembered her in a positive way. Laura spoke to the patient in a calming way and eventually convinced the patient to go down to the ER for an evaluation. This to me would be a difficult conversation, but she handled it and really helped to get the patient to the safest place. Laura ended up spending close to 2 hours with the patient and getting her safe.