While in the NICU with our child, we have encountered many amazing nurses. All of which have gone above and beyond to comfort not only our child but also my husband and me. It is amazing how such complete strangers can be so comforting during such a terrifying time. During our child's stay, we met many wonderful staff members who helped make this time bearable. Because of this, it is difficult to pick just one nurse to nominate for the DAISY Award. Yet, out of all the nurses, Amanda Kosarek stood out.
Amanda has made it clear through her actions that this is not just a job for her; she clearly cares about the babies and families she works with. Amanda shows this in many ways. She doesn't just come to work and do the bare minimum. My husband and I have witnessed her on numerous occasions making more work for herself by coming up with ways to help and comfort the babies. During any shift that she works, we often come in to see her talking with our baby, putting our child in the swing, and interacting with our child more. She goes beyond helping with just medical needs. This isn't an act for parents either, we can constantly hear her cooing at other babies in other rooms, spending extra time comforting and socializing with them. She acts this way even when no one is looking. When Amanda works, we know our child is going to get more than the medical help needed, that Amanda is going to talk to our child, cuddle our child, and spend time with our child as we would.
In addition, Amanda listens to my husband and me. When we say we are concerned about something, no matter how small, she follows through. If we are uneasy about something, she will get someone higher-up to check on it out and to reassure us. She isn't afraid to ask for help for fear that she is bothering her bosses or the higher-ups. She wants us to be comforted and to know that everything is fine, even if that means getting someone higher up (a doctor or nurse practitioner) to come and check out our child and speak with us. When she works with our child, that is her priority. We know that she will do whatever she has to do to assure that our child is alright and to put our minds at ease.
Lastly, Amanda encourages us to advocate for our child. She listens to our countless questions and concerns and then she commends us for bringing those concerns up. She wants us to do that even if it makes more work for her, which it often does. On a few occasions, she has told me to never worry about bothering her, or asking questions, and that she wants us to do that.
Obviously, it is difficult for my husband and me to spend time outside of the NICU, but we know it is important for our mental health. When Amanda works, we are sure that our child will be loved and cared for in a way that we would do. This makes it so that we can spend time out of the NICU. When we know Amanda is working, we sleep in or go to lunch. We do not do this for everyone that works with our child (even though every nurse here is wonderful) but that speaks for our trust and respect for her.