Mika is a very compassionate, empathetic person and she brings that to the bedside everyday to every patient she cares for. Moreover, she is an absolute joy to work with. She is always positive, thoughtful and pleasant even while strongly and often tenaciously advocating for her patients best care.
Mika develops relationships with her patient’s and their families and they have been known to come back after discharge to visit her. She is a dedicated professional with very high standards for patient care and she goes above and beyond to ensure all of our patient’s receive quality of care that they deserve. She is very experienced and has exceptional critical thinking and critical care skills and her coworkers know that they can always go to her for assistance. She earned her staff nurse IV designation and is an active member of the CEET, CalNoc and Safety committee’s. She precepts, is often Resource RN and RRT RN and is champion for several of our protocols. She is valued and respected by the Doc’s, Nurses, and all other members of the interdisciplinary team.
Mika has been an ICU Nurse at Kaiser Walnut Creek for 14 years. She graduated from nursing school and worked in Japan as a M/S and ICU nurse before she came to the US with her husband Eddie. She then studied english and medical terminology classes in order to pass the NCLEX exam and be licensed in California. She is the proud mom of two teenagers and a big yellow dog named MOGU and she is very involved with her kids basketball and soccer teams.
Her nomination from a prior patient:
Mika took over the nursing care after the flurry of activity from the operations & medical procedures and was the calming influence. She took a leadership role in analyzing the situation and needs and made sound recommendations to both the physicians and the family. Her warm personality, combined with a deep knowledge base, gave the family hope. She convinced others that I had not had a stroke but was just over sedated and within the parameters of the physician's orders reduced the sedation, allowing me to begin to waken and move. She caused me to wiggle my toes and squeeze her hand. Throughout her shifts she provided knowledgeable assessment and feedback. While her technical skills are above average and strong, it is her bedside manner in which she shines. She quickly became a favorite nurse to every member of my family. Her honest appraisals delivered with tenderness and compassion was motivating and encouraging. The result was resounding hope and more rapid recovery for me and peace of mind for the family. She followed through, coming to visit in the CMU and taking time on her breaks as we revisited staff in the ICU. Mika is the embodiment of the DAISY Award and my family and I delight in nominating her for it.
Mika exemplifies the compassionate, skilled and professional care, we strive to deliver each and every day in the ICU! Thank you Mika. We very proud of you and the whole ICU team!