Melissa always goes out of her way to help Veterans and families of Veterans. She will take time to explain any unclear messages that Veterans are given whether it is an anticoagulation issue or not. She makes every effort to provide correct information from the most up to date source available. She is continually looking for a better way to provide excellent care for the Veterans and has difficulty relating to nurses who are doing the bare minimum to pass the time of day due to her strong work and patient advocate ethic. Working with her has inspired a change in my way of thinking about the world and how I relate to Veterans. She is motivated for change and always looks for the least castigatory way to explain her or another point of view.
There was a Veteran who called the hospital and was asking about social security administration. Even though this is not in the scope of what she is required to do, she was able to assist the Veteran with the correct phone number and get him to the correct person for the information he was seeking.
She was able to assist another Veteran's family member who contacted her due to the concern that the Veteran had missed several appointments and was being taken advantage of by a younger woman (the Veteran was in his 90s) by pressuring him to move to Florida so that she could take care him. Melissa called the Social Worker asking for assistance with this Veteran and his family. The Social Worker was able to connect them with other programs to assist with his care and prevented further interference from the other person.
These are just two examples of what makes Melissa a wonderful nurse and patient advocate and a true DAISY Nurse.