Although the nurse I am nominating for the DAISY Award did not provide care directly to me, she indirectly impacted me and my family with her excellent nursing and caring skills. She touched us with her infinite nursing skills by answering the many questions we had as she cared for our special one. Shortly after he was admitted to ICU, we met the nurse of our hopes and dreams. Courtney worked not only attentively and with extreme professionalism providing his care, but with a special touch we could note...there was love beyond measure, along with expertise. Knowing that his life was fragile, I even asked her to help provide advice on how to get a priest to prove the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. She gave me advice and made the connections for that to occur. I knew we had an "angel of a nurse".
When she entered the room, time after time, she always had a twinkle in her eyes and a smile that meant "I really do care". She would greet our loved one with respect and professionalism as well as confidence in her voice and make him feel comforted. Although he had tubes that prevented him from talking, his face would light up when she spoke to him. He would smile and have a look that said "I know I am in the best place with the best care." He knew that he was in good hands.
She never brushed us off or ignored our questions. She showed patience with him...and us. On days when she was not his nurse, she would stop by his room and check on all of us with genuine concern. She would compliment him on the days that he made progress which, of course, made his family feel like we had an angel of a nurse with us. It felt like she was fighting the fight for better health for him. She would even ask us, his family, if there was anything we needed or anything she could do for us. When we would leave his room, she would check with us to see if we had any more questions and encourage us to call if we had any concerns.
During his final days, after he was moved up to a different unit, she would come visit or chat with us if she saw us in the hallways. It broke our hearts for him to leave us, but she left a touching message at the funeral home website. Her caring did not end at the end of her shift or at the time she walked out of the hospital. She was, and still is, our angel nurse because as we spend time reflecting on his last days, she is there so vividly with those skilled hands providing professional care. We will always remember her smile and the twinkle of her eyes that say "I truly do care". She still stands out to us weeks later and that RN I would want to see caring for me. She is truly special.