Rachel Dawson, BSN, RN

My father-in-law was admitted to DHMC ER. His nurse, H, was Great. When he was then transferred to Neuro ICU, his nurses C, A, and C were great too. He spent about a day and a half in Neuro ICU, and then transferred to NSCU. His Nurses in NSCU were all great, but Rachel was over the top. I work in healthcare, and have for 15 years, and there are a lot of things that we assume "come with the job". Rachel did her job; she checked his Neuros, she ambulated her patient, encouraged rest and hydration, all the "normal things"... but she also went so far above and beyond. When my father-in-law was admitted, he had no DPOA on file; realistically, I'm sure in his more lucid days, he assumed this wouldn't be an issue. As we found ourselves in the NSCU for what would have been the third day, things started to go sideways. My father-in-law was staying awake for longer periods of time, and phasing in and out of lucidity. His girlfriend really, really wanted him to go home to their house (to the point she had assisted him in some non-compliant behaviors), while my husband and his brother (the ones responsible for the decisions) didn't feel he was stable enough to go home.
When his gf texted to say he would be discharged, on a Saturday, and very much not according to the pre-discussed discharge plan, I went down to the hospital, and there was Rachel. This is where all the DAISY components come in. Rachel was so unbelievably kind and compassionate as she listened to our concerns (he didn't know the date or the answers to any of the questions he had been asked, but rather had been reading them from a board, or coached into the correct answer). She heard our concerns about how, based on his non-compliance and disorientation, we were worried he might try to drive, or forget that he had had a brain injury, start doing a project at home, and hit his head again. Rachel listened with a soft, quiet demeanor, and said she had concerns too. She called a meeting with the MD who had cleared him for discharge, where all the possible options were discussed.
More than that, Rachel (seriously, this girl deserves a raise) ended up taking the brunt of a very angry girlfriend, with the grace and dignity of a saint, when she found out that she was not the one in charge of his decision-making. When I say disgruntled, I mean his girlfriend had a raised voice, hostile body language, and wouldnt let Rachel get a word in, she spoke over her, continued to raise her voice and just be genuinely unpleasant (to the point that my father-in-law, who couldnt recognize the voice, or process the conversation, noted that "That poor girl is having a bad day"). In my hospital, when patients or families get like that, it's a code Green (security comes and you're escorted off the campus). Rachel didn't call a code anything; she just continued on with relaxed posture, low tones, and soft logical conversation. The girlfriend finally ended up leaving, after reaming me a new one too.  I'm okay being the "bad guy" I have been for 17 years... but Rachel. It wasn't her job to take the brunt of it; she didn't have to work so hard to try and help us get him a bit longer as an inpatient (we failed, but she tried so hard); she didn't have to care as much as she did.
Yes, she is a nurse, and there are 1000 things that she is tasked with doing every day, but going so far above and beyond is not in those 1000 things. I hope that her value as a nurse, as a caregiver, and as a patient/family advocate is coming through in this message, because in my 15 years as a healthcare worker, I can tell you I have only seen a handful of 'Rachels'. I hope she knows that she is our healthcare hero. If you have any questions or need more details, please reach out; I am happy to provide more.