Tianna Erickson
November 2021
Tianna
Erickson
,
RN
Perianesthesia Services
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
Fairbanks
,
AK
United States
Tianna immediately jumped in because, unbeknownst to our team, she is actually fluent in American Sign Language. The relief of the patient was palpable throughout the room.
As one of the people who interviewed Tianna and spoke with her references, I had heard repeatedly that she was the best nurse her references had worked with and that they were extremely sad to lose her. Every reference raved about how she was above and beyond, was the hardest worker, and the most compassionate nurse they had worked with. Of course, everyone always selects the people who would rave about them as their references. However, now working in person with Tianna, she could have selected anyone on her team and I have no doubt that they all would have said the same thing: Tianna is absolutely amazing.
In just a few short months, she has gone above and beyond and consistently demonstrates the attributes for which The DAISY Award was created. One such instance was late at night several weeks ago. After a long busy day, the team was notified of another add on for an emergency surgery. Any type of emergency surgery is stressful and anxiety-inducing for a patient. This patient, however, had the additional stress of only using American Sign Language to communicate. While we have digital interpreter carts that can video chat with language experts, trying to communicate via video screen is challenging enough for patients without the stress of an emergency surgery looming. Tianna immediately jumped in because, unbeknownst to our team, she is actually fluent in American Sign Language. The relief of the patient was palpable throughout the room. Tianna stayed beside this patient throughout the entire preoperative process, accompanying them into the operating room and staying until the patient fell asleep, only to immediately return and be the first set of eyes the patient saw as they awakened.
It seems like such a small thing to do, being physically present for a patient. However, in this instance, she completely changed the patient’s surgical experience. She took an extraordinarily stressful and scary situation for this patient and was able to make it an overall positive experience. The patient said how grateful they were for her actions and her compassion truly touched them. Tianna’s compassion and care for her patients are evident in her everyday practice but this story is a perfect example of how much her actions stand out.
In just a few short months, she has gone above and beyond and consistently demonstrates the attributes for which The DAISY Award was created. One such instance was late at night several weeks ago. After a long busy day, the team was notified of another add on for an emergency surgery. Any type of emergency surgery is stressful and anxiety-inducing for a patient. This patient, however, had the additional stress of only using American Sign Language to communicate. While we have digital interpreter carts that can video chat with language experts, trying to communicate via video screen is challenging enough for patients without the stress of an emergency surgery looming. Tianna immediately jumped in because, unbeknownst to our team, she is actually fluent in American Sign Language. The relief of the patient was palpable throughout the room. Tianna stayed beside this patient throughout the entire preoperative process, accompanying them into the operating room and staying until the patient fell asleep, only to immediately return and be the first set of eyes the patient saw as they awakened.
It seems like such a small thing to do, being physically present for a patient. However, in this instance, she completely changed the patient’s surgical experience. She took an extraordinarily stressful and scary situation for this patient and was able to make it an overall positive experience. The patient said how grateful they were for her actions and her compassion truly touched them. Tianna’s compassion and care for her patients are evident in her everyday practice but this story is a perfect example of how much her actions stand out.