I would like to nominate Palm Bay CBOC Pact Nurses for a DAISY Team Award. This clinic had its 4th birthday in September, and as one of two original nurses assigned to this CBOC, I can say that this is the most complete I’ve ever felt on a Nursing team. Every nurse here is competent, hardworking, and for the team. Our patient satisfaction scores are highest in the VISN, and we always exceed National numbers on every HEDIS measure. We are a strong team with voices that are always willing to advocate for the veteran we serve and the nurses that care for them. We are keen to make sure we are doing the right things and making sure the proper processes are in place for us. For example, we were told by pharmacy that us nurses were going to be responsible for refilling the pyxis. Collectively, we discussed this and unanimously decided that this was something that didn’t seem appropriate or within our scope. We discussed our concerns with leadership and were initially told that this was how the other CBOCs were operating. We investigated the SOP that goes along with the pyxis and found that it was a responsibility exclusive to pharmacy and/or Nurse Managers. We brought our findings to our manager, and it was ultimately fed up the chain of command. The result was that the duty of refilling the pyxis would remain with the pharmacy, and from our understanding, it was taken off the plates of the other CBOCs in the VISN that have been doing it for years. By us referring to policy and advocating for Nurses, it led to one less responsibility and more time for us to serve veterans.

Another thing we found by our inquisitive nature was when we were advised that we would start giving COVID vaccines without a provider’s order at our clinic, we wanted to see the SOP because we knew that COVID was not on our Nursing protocol SOP. We were also aware that the Emergency order that allowed nurses to order without an order expired in 12/31/2022. Palm Bay nurses diligently searched for an available SOP to make sure we complied. We brought it up to management, and it was sent up the chain. The result was there was NO standing order in place, so a new one was drafted and distributed to us. Now we can confidently distribute COVID vaccines knowing we have the SOP to cover us.

This group is certainly the definition of not looking like what we have been through. We had a Nurse tragically lose a Child, and we came together and supported her as she grieved. We also had one of our own have a stroke. We never replaced her because we worked together to care for patients in her absence. She has since returned and although she still has many challenges, we are slowly incorporating her back into practice. Not to mention she has a group of nurses that challenge her every day to be better. We practice words that she says funny, and we practice her skills to keep her sharp.

The same compassion and love we have for each other is extended to our veterans. We have veterans that are willing to travel long distances to keep us as their primary clinic. We have sent off a couple of veterans to the ER with active strokes, one of whom was eventually intubated and is now in recovery. One nurse identified a veteran with a weird rash that she didn’t feel comfortable with and reported it to the provider, and it ended up being Steven-Johnson syndrome when we sent him to the emergency room. The nurses here are all in and we know we provide exceptional care. Although we have our own pacts we all are familiar with the families that are here regularly and it always for us to fill in seamlessly. We have great working relationships with other disciplines and can often get things done because of the relationships we have established. We have built this clinic to near capacity, and now we are running out of space. I think a DAISY Team Award is long overdue for this team, and although we would love to have the honor, we know what we do every day and the care we provide, and we are happy!!!