Tiffany D Hatmaker
August 2022
Tiffany D
Hatmaker
,
RN
4 West
Methodist LeBonheur Germantown Hospital
Germantown
,
TN
United States
After three excruciating days of pain, embarrassment, fear, and worry, she simply smiled at me and made me feel at ease in her care.
From the moment I met my nurse, I knew she was different. She was what it means to be a DAISY Nurse. As I arrived on the unit, I had already waited for three days at a sister hospital in their ED until a bed could open up at Germantown. The EMS crew pulled me up in the hallway outside of my new room on the stretcher with a horrible NGT in place, a hot mess express sign on my forehead, and my bare feet sticking out of the blanket. Without a prompt, Tiffany Danielle stood up and said, "Wait, I'm going to grab you some socks." She didn't know anything about me at that point, we hadn't even exchanged information or names, although I'm sure she may have received report of course, but she saw a need and stepped in without hesitation. Not only a need for falls prevention strategy, but a need to help me. The patient. She knew I was uncomfortable and advocated for me immediately. It's the little things.
After being unloaded into my new room for the next week, Tiffany Danielle gathered herself and came into my room. She began to ask me questions about how I felt, the history and physical of course, but more than that, she got to know me as a human being. I want to remind you again, I had not eaten in over 4 days, I had a huge NGT (18 French which is insane) down my nose with yellow bile on the gown (eww) and in the tube...I don't even want to talk about how horrible my hair and face probably looked because I didn't even care at that point, I had felt so absolutely horrible...but with all that, she smiled at me and made eye contact when she spoke to me and listened to me like it did not phase her. It is truly the little things.
Most people avoided eye contact the last few days because I was in pain and I'm sure looked gross and sick. I was Septic with an SBO, just awful. I get teary-eyed just remembering how after three excruciating days of pain, embarrassment, fear, and worry, she simply smiled at me and made me feel at ease in her care. We laughed and shared a few conversations throughout the afternoon as she provided me with any and every request, she was proactive with my comfort, and did not skip a beat at delivering high-quality care.
As a nurse myself, I could not be more thankful or think of a more impactful experience than when you, as the patient, you are now on the flip side of this profession and see things through a different lens. I feel so lucky to have someone like Tiffany Danielle to have come in and who gave me such loving and compassionate care in such a scary time of my life. She was my nurse on day 1 of my inpatient stay and I did not even get to have her the entire 12 hours, but even after I had several more incredible nursing care team members help take care of me the rest of the week, Tiffany Danielle is someone whose love I could feel radiating through her every fiber and in my opinion is whom I will think of every time I think of what it means to be a DAISY Nurse. Someone who is a healer. Someone who speaks to the patient holistically and eases their worry. Someone whose kindness gives you hope. Tiffany Danielle, you definitely chose the right profession. I am privileged to have met you and been your patient. I wholeheartedly thank you and I wish you the very best in all your career. You will always be a DAISY in my eyes!!!!
After being unloaded into my new room for the next week, Tiffany Danielle gathered herself and came into my room. She began to ask me questions about how I felt, the history and physical of course, but more than that, she got to know me as a human being. I want to remind you again, I had not eaten in over 4 days, I had a huge NGT (18 French which is insane) down my nose with yellow bile on the gown (eww) and in the tube...I don't even want to talk about how horrible my hair and face probably looked because I didn't even care at that point, I had felt so absolutely horrible...but with all that, she smiled at me and made eye contact when she spoke to me and listened to me like it did not phase her. It is truly the little things.
Most people avoided eye contact the last few days because I was in pain and I'm sure looked gross and sick. I was Septic with an SBO, just awful. I get teary-eyed just remembering how after three excruciating days of pain, embarrassment, fear, and worry, she simply smiled at me and made me feel at ease in her care. We laughed and shared a few conversations throughout the afternoon as she provided me with any and every request, she was proactive with my comfort, and did not skip a beat at delivering high-quality care.
As a nurse myself, I could not be more thankful or think of a more impactful experience than when you, as the patient, you are now on the flip side of this profession and see things through a different lens. I feel so lucky to have someone like Tiffany Danielle to have come in and who gave me such loving and compassionate care in such a scary time of my life. She was my nurse on day 1 of my inpatient stay and I did not even get to have her the entire 12 hours, but even after I had several more incredible nursing care team members help take care of me the rest of the week, Tiffany Danielle is someone whose love I could feel radiating through her every fiber and in my opinion is whom I will think of every time I think of what it means to be a DAISY Nurse. Someone who is a healer. Someone who speaks to the patient holistically and eases their worry. Someone whose kindness gives you hope. Tiffany Danielle, you definitely chose the right profession. I am privileged to have met you and been your patient. I wholeheartedly thank you and I wish you the very best in all your career. You will always be a DAISY in my eyes!!!!