Amazing, compassionate, funny, advocator, innovator, caring, nurturer, exceptional. These are just a few words I can think of to describe Clara. She has slowly slid her way into the hearts of so many individuals and she doesn't even know it. As a nurse practitioner, she has helped so many patients, and she advocates for her patients unlike no other. Because of this and many more reasons, she deserves this DAISY Award. I have seen her work tireless hours, from very early mornings to extremely late nights, to working many many days straight, then going home to give her love and support to her 5 kids or as most of us know them her "fab 5". She has a wide knowledge from working with the hospitalists to the psych docs to infection control to surgical cases. The residents absolutely love her and respect her (because she keeps them out of trouble). She shows passion and empathy like no other. Seeing her in action on a daily basis is inspiring and makes me remember why I became a nurse. She will take the time to sit with families and ensure that they have a full grasp of the whole picture of what is going on with patients, making sure that we keep our families informed and happy with the care that they receive here. She makes sure that we use our resources wisely, like child life, social work, etc.
Just to paint a picture here is an example of Clara in action. There was a recently discharged patient that needed a prescription for a medication that had run out. The patient's mother was unable to get an appointment with one of our physicians on time, however, she was in dire need of the medication. So we got ahold of Clara and she reviewed the patient's chart and was able to provide the mother the much-needed prescription. To top it off, she went to the outpatient pharmacy to ensure there were no issues with the prescription and to meet the mother that she was helping out and make sure that she didn't need anything further. Aside from this, she is a true nurse pioneer. She takes on NP practicum students and shares her knowledge of the future of Nursing. I am pretty sure there is a long line of students who would love to have her as a preceptor because I know I would. She recently presented at our pediatric nursing conference and was very informative and was a great speaker. She is truly an inspiration to me and to many others. I think she embodies that the DAISY Award is all about. If you ask her why she works so much, her response will likely be "because I truly love my job."