One particular incident involving Carly. White that surpasses the criteria of the DAISY Award happened one early morning before 7am. Carly was tasked with the always difficult responsibility of consoling the family members of a passing patient from the MICU. During this dreadful time for the family, she reached out and extended her heart, truly going above the everyday norm of her position as an RN. Due to her caring attitude, along with her unwavering will and determination to help those in need, she not only provided care for the deceased patient, but was able to help persons outside of the patient realm.

That night, Carly took it upon herself to spend time with the family to answer any questions she could regarding the patient and her circumstances. After a few moments, family members that were not present in time to see the patient in her passing requested if it was at all possible to view the deceased and say their goodbyes.

Unsure if this was a possibility, Carly quickly contacted the House Supervisor and asked if it was okay for them to view the deceased in the morgue. She approved the request and together they notified security to open the morgue. Down in the morgue, Carly prepared the patient's body with the available materials at hand (blankets, sheets, etc) and made every attempt to ensure the patient appeared at peace.

Carly had the family escorted to the morgue by staff for the viewing. The patient's family took numerous minutes to say their goodbyes and during that time she stood respectfully, continuously handing tissues to the family to dry their tears. After the viewing she escorted the family back to the MICU for any final questions. The family left soon thereafter.

During the time Carly spent with the family, there were several medical personnel who offered to relieve her so that she could return to MICU and continue her work. Carly respectfully and thankfully declined the offers. I felt that she wanted to personally offer her assistance and heartfelt empathy to the family in their time of need. In the short time visiting MIHS, she made a special connection with the family that allowed them to depend on her for their needs.

Carly is always professional, courteous and helpful to me and others. She is by my account the definition of the DAISY Award. This is only one instance in which I have had the honor of working alongside of Carly and although the situation was far from a delightful one, it still felt like the work done by her made all the difference. It makes me proud to know that because of nurses like Carly White, our established excellence here at MIHS is felt beyond our patients.