My father was transferred to Acute Rehab. Mike McCormick consistently met all the criteria of a DAISY Award recipient. He exemplified the kind of nurse that patients, their families, and staff should recognize as a role model.
We met Mike here after over a year of my dad suffering from a peripheral vascular disease that led to a below the knee amputation. This journey has been tedious and emotionally treacherous for my father and the family. For the last 6 weeks, my dad had been in and out of the hospital. After such an ordeal, it was a breath of fresh air to meet Mike.
My mother and I stepped away while my dad was on dialysis. We received a call from another family member that stated my father had moved to the Acute Rehab Unit. We returned to the hospital and met Mike, a glimmer of light in our darkness. His care and his attention to detail lit up our hearts and minds which had grown dreary over the past few weeks.
Mike's personality made it easy for us to talk to him and voice concerns. He became like one of the family. He has a smile and a warm personality that lightens any mood. He answered our questions that exhibited his nursing knowledge and skill. When he entered my father's room, he made my dad and our family feel as if dad was his number one priority. Mike never left us wondering or in limbo for the next shift with unanswered questions or concerns. If dad needed pain meds at shift change, Mike gave it instead of passing it on for the day shift nurse to do later. We were explained the policy, procedures, and expectations of the Acute Rehab Unit.
Mike educated my father and the family about the importance of the guidelines related to the therapy and regimen dad was to receive over the next few days. His thorough education decreased our anxiety and decreased daddy's fear. Mike took the time to listen to the concerns of my mother about my father's medication and he promptly relayed those concerns to the physician. Mike never passed along to another nurse anything that he said he would do. At the beginning of his admission, my father would be so confused and restless, Mike would sit in the room with him and reorient him to his surroundings. When dad moved, Mike was right there.
One of the aspects of my dad's stay in ARU with Mike is the trust my mother placed in Mike. My mother has been my father's primary caregiver since he became ill over 5 years ago. Her stress and anxiety decreased when she knew Mike was working to the point she was able to stay home to rest herself. She would tell me, "I can stay home tonight, Mike is working." The trust also spread to my father. He was also calmer and rested well when Mike was working that night. This means so much to me for I live over 2,000 miles away from my parents. I flew in to check on my father and I met Mike. As good as he was to my dad, he was just as personable with our family. I returned home with comfort in my heart, knowing that God had placed an angel at BMH-NM to care for my father and my mother.
The ways Mike impacted my family during this stay were numerous. If he cares for all his patients the same way he cared for my father, those patients are very well cared for. It has been a blessing to have Mike at the bedside of my father. Mike McCormick, RN exemplifies what it means to be a nurse, a patient advocate, an educator, and a friend. He is dedicated to the art of nursing and I am forever grateful for his presence and compassionate care.