Sharon Demeter
June 2023
Sharon
Demeter
,
PMHNP-BC, WHNP, CNM, MSN, MA
Patient Care Services
UC Davis Medical Center
Sacramento
,
CA
United States
Sharon demonstrated a determination to remove barriers - one by one. In the meantime, Sharon also held realistic expectations and a relationship with the patient.
Sharon is a nurse who has demonstrated incredible advocacy for both nurses and patients by supporting a culture of safety, and cultural humility and working to bring dignity to some of our most vulnerable patients. Sharon has a vision of the bedside nurse that they can feel supported in their interactions with the recognition that workplace violence within the health care setting has a rising incidence that impacts the care delivery to patients. She recognizes the benefits of Trauma Informed Care and that the hospital setting has the impact to trigger patients. Sharon has a commitment to patients and providing both nurses and tools to support communication and problem-solving.
Sharon has been active in the education of nurses, building a multidisciplinary team to support behavioral escalation, and supporting a culture that supports cultural humility for patients to continue to receive their medical care at UC Davis Health. The BEST team has been introduced into the hospital setting in 2020 and has been a recognized addition to the care team that supports patients in managing the challenges of the healthcare setting and personal healthcare changes the patient may be experiencing. With Sharon’s leadership, a team has been created and cultivated that aligns with the RBC principles of seeing our patients and understanding their back story, treating patients with dignity, and also setting expectations that can keep everyone safe.
Sharon also takes a vested interest in many of our vulnerable patients and advocates for the needs of the patients. There is one patient in whom Sharon invested hours over the last two years in efforts to both support the patient's safety as well as the caregiver burden of the care team. Sharon demonstrated a commitment to align the care team to a plan that would keep everyone safe and elevate the patient for readiness for a transition to the level of care outside of UC Davis. Sharon worked with nursing, management, psychiatry, lift team, MHWs, hospitalist/APP service, and outside entities at the county to align a shared care plan that everyone could support. Sharon demonstrated a determination to remove barriers - one by one. In the meantime, Sharon also held realistic expectations and a relationship with the patient. Sharon's work was monumental in the barriers she overcame and worthy of a DAISY Nurse as she always remained patient-centered as well as nurse-centered realizing that these relationships are tied to the success of moving a plan of care forward.
***
Sharon exemplifies the patient-centered approach to care that we strive to achieve at UC Davis, even when it is challenging. Sharon was instrumental in the care of a patient with a severe psychiatric illness that resided in our hospital for many months. She not only attended to this patient directly in a therapeutic manner with kindness, empathy, creativity, and professionalism. She also provided constant support to the patient's various care team members who struggled with the patient's challenging behaviors. When problems arose, even on her days off, Sharon would immediately spring into action to help, knowing that she had more knowledge and understanding of this complex situation than anyone else in our hospital. She reached out for help appropriately when needed, and in the end, she was instrumental in getting this patient transferred to a care facility that could best address her mental health needs. I worked closely with Sharon throughout this long process, and I cannot say enough about her expert approach to this patient case that would have derailed and destabilized even the best of our colleagues. She is a model for collaborative patient care and problem-solving. And I am so grateful to have the privilege of working with her and learning from her.
Sharon has been active in the education of nurses, building a multidisciplinary team to support behavioral escalation, and supporting a culture that supports cultural humility for patients to continue to receive their medical care at UC Davis Health. The BEST team has been introduced into the hospital setting in 2020 and has been a recognized addition to the care team that supports patients in managing the challenges of the healthcare setting and personal healthcare changes the patient may be experiencing. With Sharon’s leadership, a team has been created and cultivated that aligns with the RBC principles of seeing our patients and understanding their back story, treating patients with dignity, and also setting expectations that can keep everyone safe.
Sharon also takes a vested interest in many of our vulnerable patients and advocates for the needs of the patients. There is one patient in whom Sharon invested hours over the last two years in efforts to both support the patient's safety as well as the caregiver burden of the care team. Sharon demonstrated a commitment to align the care team to a plan that would keep everyone safe and elevate the patient for readiness for a transition to the level of care outside of UC Davis. Sharon worked with nursing, management, psychiatry, lift team, MHWs, hospitalist/APP service, and outside entities at the county to align a shared care plan that everyone could support. Sharon demonstrated a determination to remove barriers - one by one. In the meantime, Sharon also held realistic expectations and a relationship with the patient. Sharon's work was monumental in the barriers she overcame and worthy of a DAISY Nurse as she always remained patient-centered as well as nurse-centered realizing that these relationships are tied to the success of moving a plan of care forward.
***
Sharon exemplifies the patient-centered approach to care that we strive to achieve at UC Davis, even when it is challenging. Sharon was instrumental in the care of a patient with a severe psychiatric illness that resided in our hospital for many months. She not only attended to this patient directly in a therapeutic manner with kindness, empathy, creativity, and professionalism. She also provided constant support to the patient's various care team members who struggled with the patient's challenging behaviors. When problems arose, even on her days off, Sharon would immediately spring into action to help, knowing that she had more knowledge and understanding of this complex situation than anyone else in our hospital. She reached out for help appropriately when needed, and in the end, she was instrumental in getting this patient transferred to a care facility that could best address her mental health needs. I worked closely with Sharon throughout this long process, and I cannot say enough about her expert approach to this patient case that would have derailed and destabilized even the best of our colleagues. She is a model for collaborative patient care and problem-solving. And I am so grateful to have the privilege of working with her and learning from her.