Robin Valatka exemplifies a continual commitment to excellence. She is one of the most astute, critically thinking nurses I am honored to have as a colleague. She seeks out resources and evidence to fully understand her practice to deliver the best evidence supported care to her emergency patients.
Not long ago she made her own individual appointment to meet with experts in the laboratory to seek answers to questions she had involving processes and best practices to provide care to emergency patients and make use of the assistance of interdisciplinary experts to improve her own practice. Most remarkable is her uncanny ability to see her patients and families as the unique individuals that they are. I overheard a conversation Robin had with an elderly patient in the ED and was overwhelmed by her kindness and compassionate care and the way she treated him with such style, both personal, yet extremely professional.
I complimented her and she responded, "I see all my patients as if they were my family member in that bed." What I found so remarkable about her comment was that Robin who was not on shared governance council at the time and therefore had not been privy to "See Me As a Person" philosophy introduced through councils, yet could so eloquently, not only define it but role model the art of nursing.
If the DAISY Award is meant for extraordinary nurses, the DAISY Award is meant for Robin Valatka.