Daniel is a great addition to our team. He impressed us immediately with his patience and professionalism as we worked through technical difficulties on what should have been a Skype interview that turned into a conference call. Daniel relocated to Georgia nearly a year ago and sought out Inpatient Rehab, coming to us already a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse. We are continually impressed with his dedication to rehab patients and our team.
Daniel is positive through change, has brought a level of professionalism and kindness to night shift that has served to solidify the team on all fronts. Daniel is eager to learn and grow as an RN, seeks assistance appropriately and is the first to offer aid to others.
Let me give you some specific examples of Daniels dedication to his team, his patients and nursing in general:
His team:
One of our night shift nurses was pregnant and determined to work until she approached her due date. Even though I removed the nurse from the "float" rotation in her 3rd trimester to help keep her safe and in a more comfortable work environment during her pregnancy, Daniel would assess her assignment every time they worked together and would take her most challenging patients so she would not have to lift, walk up and down the halls constantly or be otherwise unnecessarily stressed. No one asked him to do it, he did it out of respect and concern for his peer.
His patients:
When I round on patients, Daniel is constantly requested by name. One of our very challenging patients (no one could please him) was running down a list of all the things that we could do better, finally after what seemed like 15 minutes, he finished with "I have to admit, you have a gem in Daniel, he is the only one who has connected with me and alleviates my anxiety about my situation". When I asked specifically what Daniel did that relieved his anxiety, the patient responded, "he listens, no matter the time of night and he is not eager to offer me a sleeping pill to shut me up". Very commendable in a world where we use medication as a quick fix to patient anxiety.
Nursing/Community:
Recently, Daniel was traveling home from a long night of work when he noted a female driver cross 3 lanes of traffic quickly, an MVA resulted and Daniel was the first responder on the scene. As all the windows were busted out of the vehicle from the accident, Daniel noticed a baby in the back seat, reached in through the broken window to assess the baby, give aid, and comfort the mother while waiting on others to arrive. 2 other gentlemen arrived to assist and complimented Daniel on his quick action. Turns out the baby was only 3 weeks old! Both Mom and baby were transported by EMS.
Daniel is counted on for additional shifts to ensure patients are cared for and unit staffing levels are maintained adequately, he is flexible with time and tasks and is always looking for ways to support leadership and improve our team.
As a nurse leader, I am blessed to work with Daniel; his energy, dedication, and smile are infectious!