Suzanne Johnson
June 2024
Suzanne
Johnson
,
RN
NICU
WellSpan York Hospital
York
,
PA
United States
She pours love and passion into every single family she works with, but she is especially impactful on the families who are trying to navigate the struggles that a journey in this unit presents. She treats each family and each circumstance with the same amount of love and respect.
I have worked beside this RN on the unit for more than 10 years. She has worked in many different positions within the department. In each of these roles, this RN always went above and beyond for her patients.
She pours love and passion into every single family she works with, but she is especially impactful on the families who are trying to navigate the struggles that a journey in this unit presents. She treats each family and each circumstance with the same amount of love and respect. She is truly one of the greatest patient advocates and the most compassionate nurses I have ever worked with. She truly is the definition of her job title.
With her impending retirement, she still makes it a priority to attend conferences, educate herself, and continues to educate the team how to better understand the journey from a parent’s perspective. She is also extremely engaged with not only current families but also graduated families as the primary coordinator of our unit support group, which brings families together monthly to talk in a safe environment about their feelings and experiences. The impact she has on patients and their families is evident by the numerous calls and visits from graduated families asking the number one question of where is this RN. They love to give her updates, show her pictures, and thank her for helping them along the journey.
I have worked beside this RN, where I have witnessed her pull parents through the darkest times of their lives. Although it would be nearly impossible for me to tell all the stories where this RN has gone above and beyond for her patients, one story that particularly sticks out and illustrates the love and empathy this RN shows to her patients is when she helped a mother who experienced the tragic loss of her son. She made it a priority to ensure that the mother ate, took care of herself not only physically but also emotionally, and was supported throughout her stay. Since this mom had no support from family and friends, this RN made sure to be there with her during the final moments of her son’s life, including conversations with the medical staff and coroner. She quite literally never left her side during these dark moments and even provided dinner on the night of her son’s death since the mom did not have any money. This RN went on to attend the funeral for the baby, where there were fewer than five people in attendance. She truly showed up for this mom when she had no one. She wholeheartedly embodies the qualities of a DAISY Nurse.
She pours love and passion into every single family she works with, but she is especially impactful on the families who are trying to navigate the struggles that a journey in this unit presents. She treats each family and each circumstance with the same amount of love and respect. She is truly one of the greatest patient advocates and the most compassionate nurses I have ever worked with. She truly is the definition of her job title.
With her impending retirement, she still makes it a priority to attend conferences, educate herself, and continues to educate the team how to better understand the journey from a parent’s perspective. She is also extremely engaged with not only current families but also graduated families as the primary coordinator of our unit support group, which brings families together monthly to talk in a safe environment about their feelings and experiences. The impact she has on patients and their families is evident by the numerous calls and visits from graduated families asking the number one question of where is this RN. They love to give her updates, show her pictures, and thank her for helping them along the journey.
I have worked beside this RN, where I have witnessed her pull parents through the darkest times of their lives. Although it would be nearly impossible for me to tell all the stories where this RN has gone above and beyond for her patients, one story that particularly sticks out and illustrates the love and empathy this RN shows to her patients is when she helped a mother who experienced the tragic loss of her son. She made it a priority to ensure that the mother ate, took care of herself not only physically but also emotionally, and was supported throughout her stay. Since this mom had no support from family and friends, this RN made sure to be there with her during the final moments of her son’s life, including conversations with the medical staff and coroner. She quite literally never left her side during these dark moments and even provided dinner on the night of her son’s death since the mom did not have any money. This RN went on to attend the funeral for the baby, where there were fewer than five people in attendance. She truly showed up for this mom when she had no one. She wholeheartedly embodies the qualities of a DAISY Nurse.