Upon hearing that Boulder Community Health was going to start honoring nurses with The DAISY Award, there was one nurse who popped into the minds of multiple people here at CMC ED. That person is Lori Gordy. Lori has touched the hearts of not only the patients she cares for in the ED but also the staff members she works with. Her compassion and thorough care are felt by patients and family members which can be seen when patients return just to say thank you. Patients have nothing but praise to say about Lori. She goes above and beyond what is in her job description to make patients and family members comfortable in a stressful situation. Lori is a pivotal member of the CMC team. She is efficient in taking care of patients while always being available to help out a fellow coworker. She is reliable, helpful, and makes sure the unit is flowing smoothly. She asks if coworkers need help with anything and does not hesitate to drop what she is doing to help. It is very hard to pinpoint a specific moment that is a good example of why Lori exemplifies what The DAISY Award stands for because she demonstrates those qualities every day she works.
The following are quotes from patients and staff members about Lori:
"She's so nice, it hurts!"
"She's the nicest person in the world."
"She's the bomb-diggity. She is the most compassionate person ever."
"Lori was one of the first people I met when I transferred from Ortho/neuro. She had a big smile on her face and was very welcoming. I shadowed her when she was in triage, and I could tell immediately she was an empathetic, caring person. Even though the time spent with the patient was short during triage, she had a great rapport going with the patient. She is a great nurse and an amazing human being."
"This afternoon I went to your center to have a week-old left arm injury looked at; I wanted to see if it was broken. Going in, I realized this was a low priority injury and, just walking in, there may be some wait time involved. The triage nurse realized this as well as she prioritized the treatment of patients based upon their needs. This meant that a good number of people needed to be treated before me. Instead of leaving me for what turned out to be more than an hour to read the sign explaining the above, the triage nurse came to me not once, but twice to touch base. That was awesome. During this hour-plus, I watched your staff treat incoming patients professionally and with compassion. This professionalism did not stop with my treatment. From check-in, triage, x-ray, to the doctor and then to payment time, your staff was excellent in every way. It seemed the perfect combination of systems, training, and most importantly, people. Thank YOU for having something to do with putting that together. I'm not sure where all the names go, but I got them before I left. I don't think today was just a good day at the office for everyone. Thank you all very much."
"Good morning. This patient was there last eve and we were busy. Lori Gordy does an excellent job 'owning' the waiting room! He did have to wait, and Lori asked that he get a movie ticket, which I gave him. We do have a wonderful staff and his note is so great to see!"
"Lori is always available for back scratches and has a supply of chocolate readily available for staff members. She always everyone else's needs first before her own"
This is a small glimpse of what Lori means to us at CMC ED and to patients. Lori is loved by patients and by staff members alike. She is a true DAISY Nurse for her compassionate, empathetic nature.