"We touch the patients' fear, we hold their fear in our hand while we comfort their hearts and minds before we help them to fight this invisible enemy, COVID-19". This is what Thao Le said when asked what is the difference between work-life in TCU, where she volunteered for a while, in comparison to our home unit.
Thao is a DAISY Nurse because she always focuses on ensuring patients' safety while delivering Compassionate care, placing patients' safety and interest at the forefront in everything that she does each day. This is what she stands for. She was born with a special gift of caregiving and through this gift, she makes our unit and Parkland a better healing place for our community.
In addition, she is trustworthy. Whenever you go to her for help, she always says "We will figure it out". She never gets credit for herself. She uses words as "we", but not "me". She would give out the opinions base on facts, not personal beliefs. When resolving conflicts, she carefully investigates both sides of the parties involved. To her, Integrity is a principle to follow, not just a simple good trait.
Her qualities of Respect and Teamwork are truly demonstrated. She has always been fair to each and every staff without biases. In the event of solving conflicts or problems, she seeks the root cause rather than blaming. Moreover, she listens to both sides of the stories and seeks other leaders' opinions before coming to decide on the results.
Her Collaboration is always displayed, regardless of the situation or the person she is working with. She works effectively with the nursing staff. I have been observing her for a long time and there are endless situations where I have noticed her nurturing and caring nature and dedication in taking of her patients. A big part of our success as a caregiver relies on our communication skills. She communicates effectively with both her colleagues and patients. She is always available at her assigned patient area and always informs her buddies and HUC when she leaves for a short break. This is very important as it helps to prevent patient falls as well as patient frustrations.
Whenever she is in charge, we as nurses feel like we have a comfort blanket on us. We know for sure she will come up with a solution in the event if something goes wrong as she has answers for every problem. Whenever you go to her for help, she always says "We will figure it out". She leads with an example. She uses the word "serve" to describe her line of duty. She strongly demonstrates her leadership as Parkland's "servant-led environment".
Every time we need help, she is there with a smiling face, but full of energy to help the unit. The issues, whatever they are, she manages safely, precisely with the patients' best interests at heart. We all know of her excellence in customer service, always result in a peaceful solution, and again, a solution that is resolved with a patient-centered focus. Her Excellence is truly admired by many of us.
She firmly believes in Stewardship. She recognizes resources are not endless, rather resource shortages exist as one of our main problems. I have witnessed her voice her concern about resource wasting. She reminds others to be mindful of saving our resources as to her notion: "Resources save lives".
Employees such her are an essential asset for the success of any workplace. She continues to educate herself as she says: "better server to the community". I hope she will continue to be a member of Parkland's team for many years to come. In my personal observation, she completely fits the qualities of Parkland's C.I.R.C.L.E.S. and is a true DAISY Nurse.