Jodi Hack is the perfect role model for everything a nurse should be; she is intelligent, kind, generous, thoughtful, caring, and compassionate. Anybody who has ever worked with Jodi can see the genuine love she has for her patients and their families. Not only does she work very hard to be an amazing patient advocate for her pediatric neurosurgery patients, she also makes great effort to become a part of their lives and be a great source of support during their difficult road to recovery. Although her pediatric patients face life-altering diagnoses such as brain tumors, subdural hematomas, and spinal injuries, Jodi gives them a sense of comfort in knowing that they have a team who truly cares about them.
In addition to her regular work duties, with the assistance of a neurosurgeon, Jodi organizes an amazing and memorable Christmas Party for her neurosurgery patients every year. The annual Christmas Party is a fun event complete with picture taking with Santa, fun activities, food and drinks, and gifts for the patients and their siblings. The hard work Jodi puts into giving the patients a memorable Christmas celebration every year is truly commendable. When she isn't working hard scheduling surgeries, organizing procedures, educating patients, and running clinics, she can usually be found giving extensive support to her outpatient team.
As a new nurse transitioning from inpatient to outpatient, I was fortunate enough to work closely with Jodi in the ENT clinic. One of the many things I learned from Jodi is that nurses wear multiple "hats" and that any great nurse excels in the many roles he or she is given. During clinics, I would observe Jodi play the role of an educator to patients, families, and other staff members. With patience and humility, she would educate her patients on new diagnosis and treatment plans. As a knowledgeable and experienced nurse, she graciously shared her wisdom and skills with new and float nurses. I also observed Jodi acting as a patient advocate, following up with patients and ensuring they had the resources needed to receive treatment. And as if she weren't busy enough, she would at times play the role of a server, taking time to walk around high wait-time clinics with a tray of water cups for patients and families and checking to make sure they were comfortable.
Not only does Jodi make a great impact on her patients' lives, she also makes a huge imprint on the lives of the nurses and care associates that work with her. In a truly thoughtful manner, Jodi keeps a calendar of everyone's birthdays for the outpatient department. For every birthday, she always brings the celebrant a thoughtful gift or a celebration token such as fun wands, ribbons, or necklaces. She is also the person that organizes potlucks and celebrations for birthdays, boss' days, baby showers, etc. She is undoubtedly the cheerleader of our department as she constantly uplifts our spirits, makes everyone around her feel special, and makes our work environment so much more pleasant and fun.
When I transitioned to outpatient, I always felt greatly supported because Jodi consistently asked me how I was doing, offered to help me when I felt overwhelmed, and educated me when needed. She also encouraged me to join the Partnership Council and get involved in supporting our department and hospital. Over the years, Jodi has trained me and so many other nurses on how to be efficient and effective outpatient nurses and I truly believe I wouldn't be the nurse I am today if it weren't for her mentorship. Given that the DAISY Award recognizes the super-human work nurses do every day, I cannot think of a better candidate than Jodi. The selfless and thoughtful work she does every day is nothing short of super-human.