January 2018
Lauren
Lewis
,
RN, BSN
Nurse Navigator for Limb Restoration
University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora
,
CO
United States
As a fellow nurse for the past ten years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with nurses from all walks of life that embody the spirit of this profession, but none like Lauren Lewis. Just as The DAISY Foundation eludes, nurses can touch patients and families in ways no other healthcare professional can, and within this group, there are the special few that do it with poise, compassion, kindheartedness and an incredible work ethic. Lauren absolutely falls within the "special few".
Lauren began working as a nurse navigator with the Limb Restoration Program at University Hospital 1 year ago. The Limb Restoration Program focuses on the care of those who are at high risk of having their limb(s) amputated from a variety of causes from tumors to trauma. As you can imagine, these patient's conditions can be quite complex and fraught with difficulties. It is not uncommon that patients have had 10+ surgeries before they find our program and have many times lost the trust of their healthcare teams. Lauren is almost always the first point of contact patients have with our program. She has a unique way of instantly connecting with patients on the phone and putting them at ease as they know they have a friend on the line who is ready to help. Although her southern charm may have something to do with this, it is really her incredible way of maintaining calm in a sea of uncertainty.
One such recent example was with a woman who had been dealing with a chronic infection and wound to her leg for years. Her local healthcare team told her that her only option was amputation. The patient hesitantly connected with our program and found herself with Lauren on the phone. Within a matter of minutes, this fearful situation had turned into one of calm and comfort. Within days, Lauren had connected this woman with a team at UCHealth, all with a coordinated plan to save her leg. Many surgeons and team members were involved with the care of this patient, but really it was thanks to Lauren for rallying the troops and seamlessly providing the patient with a well-thought-out itinerary to Denver.
Lauren spent tireless hours of gathering medical records, speaking with her local care team, coordinating preoperative visits and tests to ensuring she had a positive perioperative experience in our institution by visiting the patient every day she was in the hospital. All of this done with motivation and positivity. Ultimately this patient had a very successful outcome and had complete function of her once at-risk leg. The patient was so grateful for Lauren and recognized the importance of having that go-to point person that is trustworthy, knowledgeable and most importantly empathetic to the stressful situations she was in. This is just one of the hundreds of examples where Lauren made all the difference in the care of our patients.
Lastly, as a co-worker, Lauren is someone I can absolutely trust to not only get the job done but figure out a way to do it better than I could ever imagine. There are many people who go to work and find a way to accomplish the bare minimum. Lauren, on the other hand, goes to work and without trying, finds a way to exceed all expectations. She is without doubt worthy of this award as she excels in her field and truly places compassion for patients and their families above all else.
Lauren began working as a nurse navigator with the Limb Restoration Program at University Hospital 1 year ago. The Limb Restoration Program focuses on the care of those who are at high risk of having their limb(s) amputated from a variety of causes from tumors to trauma. As you can imagine, these patient's conditions can be quite complex and fraught with difficulties. It is not uncommon that patients have had 10+ surgeries before they find our program and have many times lost the trust of their healthcare teams. Lauren is almost always the first point of contact patients have with our program. She has a unique way of instantly connecting with patients on the phone and putting them at ease as they know they have a friend on the line who is ready to help. Although her southern charm may have something to do with this, it is really her incredible way of maintaining calm in a sea of uncertainty.
One such recent example was with a woman who had been dealing with a chronic infection and wound to her leg for years. Her local healthcare team told her that her only option was amputation. The patient hesitantly connected with our program and found herself with Lauren on the phone. Within a matter of minutes, this fearful situation had turned into one of calm and comfort. Within days, Lauren had connected this woman with a team at UCHealth, all with a coordinated plan to save her leg. Many surgeons and team members were involved with the care of this patient, but really it was thanks to Lauren for rallying the troops and seamlessly providing the patient with a well-thought-out itinerary to Denver.
Lauren spent tireless hours of gathering medical records, speaking with her local care team, coordinating preoperative visits and tests to ensuring she had a positive perioperative experience in our institution by visiting the patient every day she was in the hospital. All of this done with motivation and positivity. Ultimately this patient had a very successful outcome and had complete function of her once at-risk leg. The patient was so grateful for Lauren and recognized the importance of having that go-to point person that is trustworthy, knowledgeable and most importantly empathetic to the stressful situations she was in. This is just one of the hundreds of examples where Lauren made all the difference in the care of our patients.
Lastly, as a co-worker, Lauren is someone I can absolutely trust to not only get the job done but figure out a way to do it better than I could ever imagine. There are many people who go to work and find a way to accomplish the bare minimum. Lauren, on the other hand, goes to work and without trying, finds a way to exceed all expectations. She is without doubt worthy of this award as she excels in her field and truly places compassion for patients and their families above all else.