megan donnally brinkley1, MSN, RN, CPHON

Megan Donnally Brinkley, MSN, RN, CPHON, a Clinical Care Leader on the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit (8B) was nominated for the DAISY Award by the mother of one of her patients who stated: Several nurses cared for my daughter in the immediate difficult days of her recovery, but Megan's skills were both paramount and all encompassing. We were privileged to have her as our nurse. The first quality I noticed about Megan's nursing approach was her connection and communication with our daughter, instantly reassuring her with a caring approach, while affording me the additional reassurance through eye contact and visible confidence. Megan would begin each shift by discussing "our goals" for my daughter. This was a unique facet to Megan's nursing talent and it made me see that she believed in my daughter as much as I do. The level of Megan's preparedness for my daughter's medicines, therapies, diagnostic tests and overall well being were superior. Our gratitude goes out to all the staff on 8B, but especially to Megan. Her manager, Rachel Adam-Mejia, validates these attributes and adds that "Megan demonstrates her commitment to compassionate nursing care by facilitating primary nursing teams for patients undergoing prolonged admission or inpatient treatment. Megan is also committed to continuously improving palliative care practices on 8B to provide compassionate care for patients and families in the palliative and end-of-life phase of care. Also notable is Megan's ability to bring humor to the bedside in her day-to-day care. She is often seen cheering up her patients with her humor and fun-loving caring nature and sometimes, even conspiring with patients to play practical jokes on the staff which really brightens up her patient's day.