Wanda Santiago was nominated for the DAISY Award by her coworkers. Here are the comments that support her compassionate and excellent approach to care and professional representation of the nursing profession.
She is always there when we need her. She tries to check patients, constantly; especially those difficult ones and the ones whose pain is not controlled. She communicates with patients to ensure that patient medication time is planned so patient’s pain is controlled. She has been a resource for new & experienced nurses in regards to pain management. She actively seeks out ways to care for patients with pain issues She has a great relationship with the members of her team. She serves as a resource for the orthopedic patients and orients the new nursing staff.
She rounds daily on all of the JRC patients and in one instance helped to resolve an issue for patient. She was walking by the room and noticed that the patient looked uncomfortable. Upon entering the room and speaking with the patient she found that he was in severe pain and had not been medicated in hours. She spoke with his nurse and found out that the nurse thought that the patient had a great deal of medication already. She explained to the nurse the importance of staying on top of the patient’s pain and how difficult the process of recovery was. She medicated the patient and checked up on the patient from time to time. The patient was very thankful.
She serves with a sincere caring and consistent sensitivity that goes beyond following rules, protocols and best practice. You can’t bottle it up and sell it nor teach it. That kind of patience and caring is to be commended.
She responds to the patient’s call immediately. She makes sure that patient is satisfied, comfortable, and happy with the care provided. She is always there and ready to assist with patient regarding any patient nursing concern. She is always smiling and never says no to helping or assisting fellow colleagues.
She was struggling with a personal crisis in her family recently. I went to see how she was coping. I waited outside a patient’s room and listened to how she interacted with the patient she was laughing and giving the patient encouragement that he would make it through. I asked how she was doing and she spoke teary eyed that she has faith that everything will be alright. I was astonished how she was able to deliver the care and compassion to her patients regardless of what she was going through in her personal life. My intention was to offer her support. But I received much more out of it. She is inspiring and continues to do so with her kind heart and loving spirit with every patient.
She saw me ambulating a patient alone one day. She was doing her documentation, but stopped and insisted on helping me. I felt bad because she had work to do but she insisted. When you attend the patient reunion, all of the former patients come up and hug her and thank her for her care. She builds a rapport with her patients every week. She cares for them throughout their journey through orthopedic recovery. She takes time with her patients and families to ensure that they know what to expect at each stage of recovery. She is an asset to her patients. Her patients and their families, I hear about what she has done for them with her smile and laughter. She goes the extra mile, no matter what her patients need, she is an asset to them.
Wanda is extremely attentive explaining meds and listening to me first. Listening is extremely important and hard to do. The listening is medication. She provided understanding, compassion and professional care that were so far from mediocre.
Always positive! Always nice! She is pleasant and happy about what she’s doing. You don’t see her tired, no matter how busy the floor is.
One final nomination came from a Patient letter: “From March 14-17, I was hospitalized at Celebration Health for a total knee replacement. During this painful recovery process, Wanda Santiago and Sergio Caballero, provided understanding, compassion and professional care that was so far from mediocre, so far from normal that I had to write this letter. Wanda and Sergio serve with a sincere caring and consistent sensitivity that goes beyond following rule, protocols and best practices. You can’t bottle it up and sell it nor can you teach it. That kind of patience and caring is rare. Both healthcare professionals treated me with such dignity. I felt I was always the focus of their attention. I felt that my comfort was the most important ingredient. Both made shift changes feel seamless. Wanda and Sergio are the best of the best and need to be recognized and rewarded. They are both positive professionals and a true asset to Florida Hospital”.