Shortly after Stephanie Philips came to work here, I overheard her talking with a patient that she was caring for. This patient had just had a knee replacement. But, as is the case with many of our patients, this patient had a long history of back pain. She was complaining about the pain in her back and not about the pain in her knee. Stephanie focused on the patient’s back pain and pursued alternative medication for the patient that was not on the profile for knee replacement. Stephanie called the physician and got orders for a muscle relaxant and that, when coupled with what the patient had in her post op orders for pain relief, gave the patient the relief that was necessary. The patient was comfortable and very grateful for Stephanies’ intervention. This occurred over 2 years ago and I have continued to observe the concern and patient advocacy over and over again.
Integrity
Stephanie is first and foremost a patient advocate. She consistently questions situations where orders are unclear or missing. She takes full responsibility for her actions whether it is in the care of a patient or interaction with nursing staff or a physician. Stephanie is not afraid to ask questions about something that she does not understand.
Compassion
This quality ties in with pursing her passion for pain management. Stephanie is all about patient comfort and pain relief throughout the continuum of care up until discharge. This ultimately leads to higher satisfaction scores. She goes out of her way to make her patient’s stay in the hospital the best it can be.
Balance
Stephanie is married with two daughters who are active in school activities and other social events that the daughters are involved in. This is first and foremost on her list. However, Stephanie is also a conscientious employee who has an excellent attendance record and is always willing to help out when staffing is an issue. Stephanie is very flexible.
Excellence
Stephanie stays up to date with her Nursing practice and strives to continually improve her practice maintaining the highest level of competence. Stephanie is certified in her field, adheres to the highest standards and is active in the local chapter. She has recently joined ASPMN (American Society of Pain Management Nurses) and is pursuing Certification in Pain Management through that organization. Stephanie is also pursuing her graduate degree in Clinical Nurse leadership.
Stewardship
Stephanie has completely reorganized their nursing unit to operate more efficiently. Our work station supplies have been sorted and rearranged to facilitate a more orderly availability. From the Respiratory Supply Cart to the Anesthesia Supply Cart to the Blood Drawing Trays – our access to the proper supplies is at our fingertips. Stephanie is faithful to keep it all supplied and up to date. This reorganization also insures that we use what we need, but do not stock more than we need, which results in expired products that were over-ordered and not used in a timely fashion.
Teamwork
All of the above narrative comes down to teamwork. She is the ultimate team player and I am proud to be able to nominate Stephanie Philips, RN for the DAISY Award.