It is my pleasure to nominate a highly versatile, experienced, and caring nurse as a DAISY Nurse. When I say versatile and experienced, I mean that this RN has worked in the past as an office nurse, Home health/hospice nurse, and as an ED nurse. I think her drive and experience bring out her tremendous traits and compassion best when she functions as an emergency team player. Her skill level allows her to adapt to the extreme emergency situation but also allows her to show empathy, compassion, and understanding to the non–emergent person who utilizes emergency services. She focuses on the patient's need, their understanding, and their resources of why they present to the ED instead of focusing on why they may not have gone outside the emergency service for non–emergencies. Sometimes you have to look into the ‘eye of the beholder’ to understand their decision making and this nurse has the ability to take that time and understanding to treat each person individually. She is emotionally understanding to that person that may not understand ‘the health care system’.

She is loyal to her patients as well as her team co-workers. Her sustainment in nursing during changes in health care allows her to bring differences in patient situations, acuity of triage of individuals, and the focus of safe quality care to each person. An example of this experience and compassion was recently displayed when the emergency department in which she works saw an overwhelming number of bordered adolescents at the same time. While caring for the boarder patient and/or adolescent is not new, the vast number at one time outweighed the room/department availability for increased patient days causing backflow of the movement of ED patients. Using experience and knowledge of patient acuity, and diagnosis, she was instrumental in making room adjustments, and housing space to safely care for this number of patients while maintaining risk assessments. To occupy time, she worked with team members to obtain games, individual time activities as well as other resources for self-care while these young adolescents were hospitalized.

This nurse, Stacey Woolard, at Vidant Beaufort, is able to be innovative to think outside the box to provide individual care as well as care for the most extreme emergencies. The other thing when addressing Stacey, when you approach her to inquire as to her well–being, she always responds with a smile. Positive team members are a bonus to have around you. 

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Stacey has strong skills as a nurse. She is compassionate with patients. She goes above and beyond. She is extremely careful with the elderly and she educates as she goes along. She never complains. I wish I could clone her and give here a 4 star. Great job Stacey and keep your shining light.