Mr. A. was with the nurses of the Medical Surgical unit for several months recovering from a repeat stroke that left him unable to clearly communicate or ambulate without assistance. During that time, I saw them treat him as a person, not just a patient. He was regularly seen sitting with the nurses at the nurses’ station. They would help him call family and friends, and even took him on walks outside the hospital in his wheelchair. Mr. A. was known to wave you down if he wanted something and then point in the direction of whatever he wanted to get. Often, it was to go to the manager’s office for a piece of candy. Mr. A. enjoyed food and the nursing staff treated him on several occasions to his favorite fast-food chicken that they purchased on their own. The staff made sure he had clean clothes to wear, some even raided their husbands' closets for clothes for him. After Mr. A. was discharged, he returned to the Emergency Department because he was frustrated with being unable to clearly communicate with the staff at his new long-term facility. To ensure this did not continue to happen, the nurses on the Med Surg unit would go visit Mr. A. bringing him a special treat of candy or his favorite chicken.

Megan Reid leads the team by displaying exceptional care for Mr. A. Megan found his son on Instagram and would call him on FaceTime to keep them in contact as they live in different states. Megan is also the nurse who most often visits Mr. A. in his new facility. The care the nurses of the Medical Surgical unit provided to Mr. A. both during his stay in the hospital and after exemplifies both skilled and compassionate care. Not only do I nominate this team for the DAISY Award, but this team was nominated by Emergency Department leadership because they understand the difference that the nurses’ extraordinary care makes in this patient’s life.

These same nurses on the Medical Surgical unit cared for another long-term patient, Ms. D. She has been a patient on the unit for many months and continues to stay to this day. Ms. D. came to the hospital with no belongings, meaning she daily wore a hospital gown or paper scrubs. My office is across from Ms. D.’s room and I saw the kindness of the team members on the Medical Surgical unit on display daily. They stopped by to say hello to Ms. D. every shift they worked, purchased pajama sets for her to wear instead of a hospital gown, and one of the nurses even purchased panties for Ms. D. to maintain her dignity. When the weather improved the nurses purchased shoes for Ms. D. so she could walk outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Robin and Emily have led the team displaying the thoughtfulness that is at the heart of the nurses on the unit. Robin takes Ms. D.’s clothes home once a week to wash them. She also purchased flash cards to work on her memory and attempt to increase her independent care. Emily coordinated a hairdresser to come to the hospital and cut Ms. D.’s hair. One day when I remarked how thoughtful and kind the nurses were to Ms. D. Robin stated, “anyone would do this”. I had to correct Robin that other units might take great care of a patient but the care they were providing to Ms. D. was above and beyond. Erin Pettengill, a medical missions nurse and jail nurse, said “We often think of nursing as giving meds on time, checking an X-ray to see if the doctor needs to be called, or taking an admission at 2:00 am with a smile on our faces. Too often, we forget all the other things that make our job what it truly is: caring and having a desire to make a difference.” I am honored to say that the nurses of the Medical Surgical team at Prisma Health Greer Memorial have not forgotten to make a difference.